Car Safety Automobile Computer Systems That Can Lead To Injury

In the year 2000, three million people or consumers were injuredand forty two thousand people died in automobile accidents. (Sharke, 2003) Computers control every aspect of our automobiles this day in age. You may think to your self "but at least I steer the automobile on my own," well actually you don't even do that by yourself all vehicles have a power steering device in them that are now electronically controlled. If your cars computer messes up you my no longer even be able to steer your car. In this paper I will show how computer controlled systems can arrive together and help put lives. One will learn that anti-lock brakes, airbags, and OnStar will work together to save many lives on the future.

Antilock Brakes

Anti lock braking system is a device that monitors an automobiles brake system and when the driver has to push the brakes hard the system will not allow the brakes to lock up and the driver lose control. When a car does not have anti lock brakes when a driver pushes on the brake hard the rotor will lock up in the brakes and the wheel will stop spinning so the driver loses the ability to steer the car. Anti lock braking system is on of the most crucial features in preventing automobile accidents but if this system fails then the driver could face a horrible fate.

How Anti-lock Brakes work

A wheel that is locked up or spinning faster than the car is moving does not have remarkable traction. Having anti lock brakes allows one to steer the car while rapidly decelerating. The control of anti lock braking system comes from a computer that monitor each individual wheels speed.

The computer checks the hurry sensors at all times. It is looking for decelerations in the wheels that are not uniform with what it should be. The computer can anticipate the wheel locking up by seeing the wheel decelerating to fast. It might take a car five seconds to stop from 60 mph under ideal conditions, but a wheel that locks up could stop spinning in less than a second.

The ABS controller knows that such a rapid deceleration is not possible without locking up, so it reduces the pressure to that brake until it sees acceleration, then it increases the pressure until it sees the deceleration again. The result is the tire slows down at the same rate as the car which stops the car wheels from locking up, while actually keeping the tires near the point at which they would initiate to lock up. By doing that the car gets maximum braking power by keeping max pressure on the rotor. When ABS activates the system can pulsate fifteen times a second.

The biggest problem with anti lock brakes is that when they are working many people think that there is something execrable with the brakes and let off and end up hitting what they were trying to avoid. When anti lock brakes activate there is a violent shaking in the cars steering wheel and an even more violent pulsating feeling in the cars brake pedal. Many people obtain nervous when this happens and let off of the brake. Last year when I was in my SUV a van cut me off and I had to get on my brakes hard to avoid hitting the van and when I did the wheel vibrated very hard and the brake pedal felt like it was pushing back but I stayed on the pedal and avoided hitting the van. Anti lock brakes are a vast feature that many people are afraid of when it is working correctly.

Airbags

When an accident does happen airbags are among the best systems in an automobile which saves lives. Are bags are controlled by the cars computer and act in under a second. Air bags were first seen in the 1980's to protect against a head on collision, but since that time air bags are now all over a vehicle to protect against almost any type of collision. The air bag is made of a thin, nylon fabric, which is folded into the steering wheel or dashboard. There is a sensor connected to a computer which tells the air bag when to inflate. One only needs to hit something at 15 mile per hour for the airbag to inflate and when it does nitrogen gas inflates the air bag in under a tenth of a second. (US DOT, 2006)

The way the air bag works is by a igniting a propellant which burns extremely fast to create an immense amount of gas that inflates the air bag. The airbag then explodes from the steering wheel and rapid loses pressure to allow a person to have a cushioned hit. Incredibly this entire process takes less than one twenty fifth of a second. (US DOT, 2006). One problem with air bags is that they come out with such force that it could kill a small child if he or she would to be sitting in the front seat. Even when an air bag saves ones life there are instances where bones have been broken. But a few broken bones is better than losing a life. One plan car manufacturer solver this is by turning down the force on an airbag by as grand as thirty five percent if the owner has a doctors recommendation. (US DOT, 2006)

The Future

Forty percent of all accidents are from side collisions and thirty percent of all serious accidents are a result of side impacts (US DOT, 2006). Car makers are really making an effort to further protect the driver by now installing side impact airbags but with this car manufactures face a modern challenge. In a front collision it takes thirty to forty milliseconds for the impact to reach the driver but in a side impact it only takes five to six milliseconds for the impact to reach the driver so the system has to work almost ten times faster (US DOT, 2006).

OnStar

OnStaris a system that GMC uses on all of their automobiles to control certain parts of safety features and also luxury features in cars. When a person is lost he or she is more likely to have an accident but with on star one can get direction at the push of a button. OnStar even has special discounts for people that are elderly or have a disability. OnStar will be in every GM vehicle by the year 2007 (Motors, 2006).

OnStar is equipped with a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) which monitors ones automobile at all times. With the GPS in set if one is lost he or she simply has to push the OnStar button and receive immediate road assistance. The GPS also allows for rescue works to zero in on ones vehicle and find the signal within a square lunge range.

Another unique feature with OnStar is hands free dialing. Many accidents and fender benders happen when a driver is distracted and a cell phone is a main distraction amongst drivers this day in age. With OnStar's hands free dialing system all one needs to do is push the button and wait for a dial tone and simply say the number he or she wish's to call.

OnStar has many innovative features such as Automatic Notification of Air Bag Deployment: which automatically notifies the authorities that the cars airbags have been deployed, OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics: which emails the owner a vehicle report every month, Remote Door Unlock: which OnStar will remotely unlock ones doors if the keys are locked in, Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance: which uses GPS to track ones vehicle, Roadside Assistance: which can help one change a tire from bring gas if the vehicle runs out, Accident Assist: which is self explanatory, Remote Horn And Lights, Ride Assist, and Personal Concierge: which OnStar will automatically book reservations for the owner (Motors, 2006).

A problem with a computer system controlling ones vehicle is that it is susceptible to all types of problems that computers are know to have. Computer systems in cars are starting to go across a network sending information. Sending information is ok but once these computers launch receiving information they will be open to viruses and anything else that can derive its intention in. When computer went on the internet it was great for sending and receiving information but it also opened new ways to send and receive viruses and worms.

Critics are wary of the possible privacy implications of OnStar and other similar and related technologies (Wikipedia, 2005). They also raise concerns about police or any other groups that could make use of OnStar's tracking, whether legally or illegally. There have already been cases where OnStar has already been used in court and where OnStar has contacted the police, against the driver's wishes. Privacy advocates worry that citizens will be hassled by police from GM sending out false alarms.

Concerns are also raised about what might be done with the data mild by the vehicles' event data recorders, which are similar to those on airplanes but not as sophisticated and as of now do not function as voice recorders. For example, insurance companies or auto dealers could use data suggesting reckless driving as the basis for denying claims or warranty service. With this technology OnStar claims that they are committed to maintaining the privacy of their customers.

System break down taken from the OnStar website

OnStar Advanced Automatic Crash Notification System (AACN):

Figure 1: The GM advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) system uses front and side sensors as well as the sensing capabilities of the Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM) itself. The accelerometer located within the SDM measures the crash severity.

Figure 2: In the event of a moderate to severe frontal or side-impact crash, data is transmitted from the affected sensors to the SDM. The SDM sensor also can identify a rear impact of sufficient severity. Regardless of whether the air bags deploy, the SDM transmits crash information to the vehicle's OnStar module.

Figure 3: Within seconds of a moderate to severe crash, the OnStar module will send a message to the OnStar Call Center (OCC) through a cellular connection, informing the advisor that a rupture has occurred. A voice connection between the advisor and the vehicle occupants is established. The advisor then can conference in 911 dispatch or a public safety answering point (PSAP), which determines if emergency services are necessary. If there is no response from the occupants, the advisor can provide the emergency dispatcher with the crash information from the SDM that reveals the severity of the break. The dispatcher can identify what emergency services may be appropriate. Using the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, OnStar advisors are able to tell emergency workers the location of the vehicle.

OnStar Emergency

OnStar 911 Emergencywill automatically call the rescue workers and notify them that you have been in an accident and they will be able to accept the occupant via GPS location device. This feature will save many live because the driver need not to be conscious in order to place a call.

OnStar is not free; it is two hundred dollars a year for the standard thought and four hundred dollars a year for the advanced version which includes Driving Directions, Ride Assist, and Convenience Services (Motors, 2006). One may mediate "I am not going to pay four hundred dollars a year for this service," but can one but a price on his or her family. How noteworthy is a loved one worth? Peaceful don't think OnStar is worth it. Maybe this can change a mind.

An accident legend taken form OnStars website

On the OnStar website there was a story about how on star saved the lives of four people:

In early September 2003, Jack and Mary Lou Garner of Centerville, Ohio, were exploring Yosemite National Park, snaking their way up Glacier Point Road. The Garners were approaching a blind curve along the narrow road, when a car lunged toward them halfway into their lane. The two cars collided nearly head-on.

Fortunately, OnStar knew the location of the Garner's car just after their air bags deployed, so "the notification went to the dispatcher who's right in the park and is familiar with Glacier Point Road," explained Sean Pence, paramedic and Yosemite Medical Clinic manager. "Ironically, had anyone been able to dial 911 from the accident scene, the call would have been routed through either Reno or Fresno before ending up at Yosemite."

An hour after the smash, fire crews were able to extricate the Garners from their car using the Jaws of Life and have them transported to a hospital outside the park. And though the Garners have recovered, their memories of Yosemite, OnStar, and everyone who helped them are filled with emotion. "I serene get choked up," says Jack, "particularly when I think of all of the very gracious people who were involved in this."

That day OnStar saved the lives of not only the driver of the GMC vehicle equipped with OnStar but also the driver of the vehicle which they hit. So what is your life worth? Is a dollar and nine cents a day to grand? That was how much it cost to save four lives that day. Can one really do a brand on his or her life or the price of loved ones.

In this paper I will showed how computer controlled systems can come together and help save lives. Level-headed think that a computer controlling safety features in a vehicle is a unpleasant idea? The more advanced and sophisticated computers become the closer we are to having a vehicle that can predict that an accident is about to happen and react before the accident occurs. Once we get to this step it may even be possible to completely eliminate accidents all together and have complete safety while driving. The future is today, and today is the age of the computer.

References

General, M. (2006). Information center. Retrieved April 25, 2006, from OnStar by GM

Web site: http://www.OnStar.com/us_english/jsp/explore/OnStar_basics/index.jsp

Sharke, P. (2003). Gleaming cars: knowledge is power...and saftey. Mechanical Engineering,

125.3, 6.

US DOT Research . Retrieved April 22, 2006, from National Center For Statistics and Analysis Web site: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.a8131659c3c0a2381601031046108a0c/;jsessionid=EOlF1Hy2aSC2DbVEuct532Tg75UgNwzGpyNLonEze62zqaJWVowT!-738400497

Wikipedia (2005). OnStar. Retrieved April 27, 2006, from answers Web site:

http://www.answers.com/topic/OnStar

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