A PRE-CRASH SIMULATOR TO EVALUATE VEHICLE COLLISION PREDICTION ALGORITHMS

This paper describes a software simulator for pre-crash collision predictions. The simulator is a surrogate test bed for evaluating the performance of proposed pre-crash algorithms. It reads data from a file, transfers distance and angular position of a target to a test algorithm, and then records the algorithm's predictions. To illustrate the simulator functionality, a simplified test algorithm is also described. This algorithm predicts collision risks based on assumptions about the size and acceleration of a target object, and the turning and braking limits of the host vehicle. The test algorithm is shown to be effective for cases where both the vehicle and the target move along straight lines but less effective for curved paths. This result is typical of the difficulty in predicting the future position of another vehicle when its motion may change suddenly in the short time before a crash event.