Development of Driver Analysis System to Improve Driving Comfort and to Reduce Mechanical Abrasion in Vehicles

Abstract

The purpose of this study is; to develop a system that can detect road disturbances and can warn the driver. For this purpose, a measurement method which tracking as a 3-axis of the road situation with a semiconductor MEMS-based accelerometer has been developed to be used to detect vehicle vibration and drive conditions which has a serious effect on the driving quality of the road. With the developed measuring system, road wear and tear can be successfully reported. Thanks to the improved system, the driver can also be warned by detecting vehicle suspension damage. In addition, a driver performance report may be drawn up under the project that is very important for fleet and service owners (universities, municipalities and other similar public and corporate entities). Thus, the damage caused by the bad use of the vehicles can be reduced to the minimum; the operating costs can be reduced. The sensor on the measurement card developed for this purpose is placed at the lower control arm portion point of the vehicle to be used in the test drives (Renault Thalia II/Symbol brand 2012 model). A testing road with a length of 135 meters was constructed and test runs were carried out at different speeds (10km/h, 20 km/h, 30 km/h, 40 km/h and 50 km/h). 7 bumps with varying dimensions were placed on the created road route at intervals of 5 meters. The obtained data were recorded on the SD card and then analyzed in the Matlab program by filtering it from the noise. A total of 2099 data were analyzed. As a result, driver performances can be categorized successfully (Normal, Medium, Bad, Very Bad, Very Very Bad) for each test drive according to the speed and condition of the road bumps. Sound and light stimulation of the driver when the bulge and the pit are entered in the test runs repeated in the result of the determined threshold acceleration value after the reference driving has also been successfully achieved.