The Accuracy Assessment of Devices Used for Distance Measuring in Dynamic Vehicle Tests

Abstract The paper presented deals with the accuracy of three selected devices based on acceleration measurement: accelerometer – XL meter, the global position measurement device by VBox and the constructed 5th wheel, which allows a very accurate measurement of distance along with speed and acceleration of the vehicle. The accuracy of recordings was tested during various driving conditions when all the three measuring devices were attached to the vehicle. Measurements showed that GPS-based measuring devices level off and even surpass accelerometers when used in locations with a good view of the sky. The 5th wheel provided the most representative results, as the difference between average and real standard deviations of the measured distance were 0.78%, 1.38%, 3.48% for the 5th wheel, VBox GPS and XL meter, respectively. The accuracy of the 5th wheel and VBox can be considered very high when taking into account the fact that dynamic actions were monitored. The paper purpose is to point out the significance of measuring device selection in assessing the distance travelled by the vehicle.