Kistler's DTI technology makes life-saving vehicle tests far easier

Winterthur, February 2018 – Reliable tests and cutting-edge measurement technology provide the essential basis for optimum vehicle development and engineering. Test configurations must be simplified as far as possible to ensure complete and reliable acquisition of the measurement data. Improved measurement results, lower material costs and shorter test times: these are the benefits that Kistler's DTI technology with its 'One cable for everything' concept can deliver, in vehicle safety testing, vehicle dynamics and durability tests.

Because precise measurements are the top priority in vehicle tests, the test configurations and equipment have to meet demanding requirements. Especially when it comes to vehicle safety, crash tests deliver in-depth knowledge about the behavior of a vehicle and its components, and they also show how a collision can potentially impact the vehicle's occupants. Series of tests to verify vehicle safety use crash test dummies, in which specially produced sensors are installed. Before, during and after a collision involving the test vehicle, these sensors capture data that provides important information about the vehicle's safety.

As vehicles become more complex and the level of digitization in automobiles increases, more and more onboard and in-dummy measuring channels are needed. Back in the early 1990s, up to 250 analog measuring channels were processed in collision tests – but now the number of sensors required is often more than 600. Another factor: less and less space is available to install the sensors. Because more analog sensors are used to measure the various test parameters, more cables have to be installed to supply power and transmit data. The end result is that test setup is becoming extremely time-consuming and cost-intensive. In addition, the large number of input channels increases the risk of errors or omissions in data acquisition.

Single-cable solution makes vehicle test setup fast and efficient

For automobile manufacturers and suppliers to the automotive industry, DTI technology opens up a new dimension of process efficiency. What makes this possible: an intelligent bus concept for digital data transmission whereby each bus line supports up to 12 measuring channels per connection port. All the signals from a wide range of different sources are converted into a digital output signal by digitization modules, or DiMods for short. The DiMoDs are integrated directly into the sensors in the dummy, or with the help of suitable Kistler DTI integration solutions. Bundled sensor data is then fed to a central Kistler DTI data recorder in the dummy, from where it is transmitted to the CoMBox/KiHuB data interface unit via Ethernet. This device connects all the in-vehicle DTI systems to the central network.

The special feature: only one single cable is needed to synchronize the data, trigger the tests and supply power. The cable is run from the dummy to the onboard data acquisition unit which (for example) has a trailing cable connection to the master computer.