Automatic eCall in Powered Two-Wheelers: A Dynamics-Based Approach

Abstract

Powered two-wheelers exhibit complex dynamics, primarily due to their broader range of possible attitude configurations compared to four-wheelers. This is especially true when considering accident scenarios, in which the dynamics can be affected by both high-frequency events, such as in high-sides, marked by rapid variations of the characteristics signals, and low-frequency events, such as in side slips, which exhibit slower and monotonic change in the same quantities. Therefore, designing an effective automatic eCall system for this type of vehicle is particularly challenging, while at the same time, it can significantly increase safety in dangerous situations. This paper proposed a novel approach for detecting falls of two-wheeled vehicles that avoids missed detections while minimizing the number of false alarms, which would heavily undermine its usability. We show, based on extensive analysis of a wide range of experimental data, why and how the proposed approach allows us to overcome the limitations of the existing proposal, ensuring a consistent detection of the wide range of falls that can happen on two-wheelers, also providing a detailed comparison with the scientific literature.