Intelligent Speed Adaption

[pipme]

Read about it here The new UK ISA project began in January 2001 and has a duration of 72 months. The project is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the project partners are the University of Leeds and the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA).

The Vehicles
The vehicles selected are Skoda Fabia 1.4 litre petrol estates. These vehicles were selected after an appraisal of the alternatives in the small family car sector. They have a major advantage to the project work in that they have an electric throttle (throttle-by-wire) whose signal can be modified by the ISA software. The map software is based on a digital road map covering the whole country, although speed limits will only be encoded as road attributes for all the roads in the specific trial area and for the national roads elsewhere. The aim has been to provide an ISA system that is fully integrated into the car and that is as close to the "feel" and design of a production system as possible for reasonable cost.

Driving on M4 J18 - West ... Poor driving in camera infested 40 mph limits, heavy traffic people exceeding limit and lane hopping .. to gain not very much .. saw a couple of vehicles at roadside having had minor skirmishes ... 3 lanes .. 40 mph ... one way traffic .. how much safer should it get ???

 

[securespark]

There's something - a fly-by-wire Skoda!!

There - I've left it wide open for the punch-line. Pip? Anyone?

 

[pipme]

Baked bean can swirling on length of flex ? Or Cheese wire around the throat perhaps ?

Actually ISA sounds good... Some rightly, worry about interference with throttle and brake ... we have it now ! Throttle by wire - ABS - electronic stability program (ESP) ... Either of the latter pair 'go wrong' at speed .. could spell disaster .... Seems pretty stable doesn't it ? AFAWK.

 

[AdamW]

There's something - a fly-by-wire Skoda!!

There - I've left it wide open for the punch-line. Pip? Anyone?

Fly-by-coathanger-wire?

Or perhaps "What do you call a fly-by-wire Skoda? A barrage balloon"

I'm out of ideas.

I reckon that an automatic throttle would make motorway driving far more pleasant and far less stressful. No-one glaring at you via the rear-view mirror, none of this "I don't care that the car needs more throttle to get up the hill, my foot's comfy so you'll have to be content with slowing down to 50mph and watch me streak away at 90 on the downhill".

Or that bane of variable speed-limit stretches: people who get right up close because you have the audacity to slow down to the new legally enforceable speed limit.

 

[AdamW]

Baked bean can swirling on length of flex ? Or Cheese wire around the throat perhaps ?

Actually ISA sounds good... Some rightly, worry about interference with throttle and brake ... we have it now ! Throttle by wire - ABS - electronic stability program (ESP) ... Either of the latter pair 'go wrong' at speed .. could spell disaster .... Seems pretty stable doesn't it ? AFAWK.

ABS and ESP have a safe-fail condition. So if your ABS system goes down, you still have a standard hydraulic braking system. You just have to remember cadence braking and avoid driving anywhere near elk until it is fixed.

With throttle-by-wire, just so long as you can make it so the failure condition is ALWAYS zero throttle then it is perfectly safe. There are already plenty of other things that kill engine power and force you to stop. It is only dangerous if the failure condition is a non-zero throttle (perhaps maximum throttle!) You could even supply a "get me home" mode, where you are reduced to a standard mechanical linkage. Wouldn't be too hard to design in.

 

[pipme]

There is a problem with ESP and ABS they may fail to standard 'no assist' when actively working very hard .... oops !!
Surely the only manner in which ESP can 'fail safe' is when it is not required to maintain stability ?
Pretty much the same with ABS ... you may just be lucky enough to begin cadence braking the instant the dash tell tale signifies loss of ABS .. at such moments one's gaze may just be transfixed upon the road or worse ahead !!


Bring on the ISA !!

RPM gets you this ? From http://www.worth1000.com/

DSG gone wrong at 9000 RPM .. at least you get this with the bill :-

 

[Tom.]

Extremely dangerous if you ask me - you'll have a generation of drivers who get in, turn engine on, engage gear, and disengage brain.

I want to be in control of my car, not a computer somewhere.

 

[2scoops0406]

There's something - a fly-by-wire Skoda!!

There - I've left it wide open for the punch-line. Pip? Anyone?

Ok, I've only ever seen a pull-by-rope one...... Tada!!

 

[pipme]

Extremely dangerous if you ask me - you'll have a generation of drivers who get in, turn engine on, engage gear, and disengage brain.

I want to be in control of my car, not a computer somewhere.

Not dangerous at all is nearing the end of 72 month Govn sponsored test, several cars on the road.
When they tried it on TV, the cams showed how traffic closed and piled up real close, even tho' car was accurately moving at the speed limit .. So how come ? Vehicles to the rear were exceeding the limit .. plain and simple .. One could see just who was readying to make a pass even tho traffic moving at the limit ... That is sh ite driving !! Used to be a taboo, if in speed limited area and vehicle in front is doing the limit, then one respected that and remained in echelon ...

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

There's something - a fly-by-wire Skoda!!

There - I've left it wide open for the punch-line. Pip? Anyone?

Ok, I've only ever seen a pull-by-rope one...... Tada!!

Is that like a soap on a rope but less useful ?????

 

[AdamW]

That is s**t driving !! Used to be a taboo, if in speed limited area and vehicle in front is doing the limit, then one respected that and remained in echelon ...

Of course, when someone is tailgating you as you drive at the speedlimit, what does the HC tell you to do? Slow down to decrease your stopping distance just in case there be a need to stop. So if people drove following the highway code, instead of letting themselves be intimidated, then people would learn that tailgating actually SLOWS their progress, and doesn't bully people into driving faster than they should. Personally I think things aren't too bad in this respect: I seldom get tailgated when driving at the limit, and people do tend to pull back, suggesting it isn't deliberate, more they expected me to speed like they would.