Calibration Highlighted in UK Requirements
Thatcham Research (Thatcham), a not for profit research center, funded by the insurance industry, has published its UK Insurance Industry Requirements (IIR), which, according to the research center, promotes safe repairs for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) equipped vehicles. There is also a specific guidance on calibration.
According to the IIR, all calibration activities should be completed by competent persons and should record the following information:
• The name and address of the repairer;
• The name and address of the third party contracted to complete the calibration if outsourced;
• Vehicle registration;
• Vehicle identification number (VIN);
• The date of the calibration;
• The competent person’s record-able proof of competence;
• The equipment used to calibrate the vehicle systems; and
• The creation and maintenance of auditable and verifiable evidence of the calibration result.
“The correct procedures for the safe repair of vehicles with ADAS, and in what scenarios calibration of the systems themselves is required, has been a long-standing challenge to the automotive repair industry,” said Richard Billyeald, Thatcham chief technical officer. “Sensor calibration requirements vary greatly from one vehicle to another. But no matter what model is being fixed, it’s essential that manufacturers’ technical specifications are met to reinstate ADAS features safely, with-out compromising performance.”
Thatcham worked with windshield repair and replacement companies, vehicle manufacturers, insurers, equipment providers and repairers to establish the IIRs. It’s expected that insurers will “direct their repair network” to comply with IIR by no later than March 31, 2021, according to the research center.
The IIR confirms calibration, inspection, and realignment requirements must be considered in all situations where ADAS sensors and parts likely to affect the operation and functionality of ADAS sensors are involved in the repair.
In addition to calibration, Thatcham’s research includes sections on definitions, the process for man-aging repairs, repair planning, damage assessment and preparation, and considerations for the automotive industry
AGSC Issues Recalibration Guidance
The Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) has released a check-list for use with vehicles that require an Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) recalibration after having an auto glass replacement.
“Proper calibration of the ADAS system in a vehicle after auto glass replacement is integral to the safety of the vehicle,” said Jacques Navant, AGSC ADAS Committee chairperson. “Our commit-tee developed this guidance, in the form of a checklist, to help everyone replacing glass in vehicles equipped with ADAS complete the recalibration process properly.”
The checklist includes a variety of sections including pre-replacement and post-replacement procedures covering static, dynamic and combination systems. AGSC members can obtain a copy of the checklist in the member resources section of the AGSC website at www.agsc.org/members/ or by emailing Kathy Bimber at kbimber@agsc.org. The checklist is available to non-members on the Council’s website at www.agsc.org/adas/.
“AGSC members put the safety of their customers first and making sure an ADAS system is properly recalibrated is an important part of that safety protocol,” said Bob Beranek, Standards Committee chairperson. “We expect recalibration procedures soon will be included in the ANSI AGSC Auto-motive Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS) as well and that those procedures will cross-reference the check list,” he added.
AAA Study Finds Active Driving Assistance Systems Do Less to Assist Drivers
“[The] American Automobile Association (AAA) has repeatedly found that active driving assistance systems do not perform consistently, especially in real-word scenarios,” said Greg Brannon, AAA automotive engineering and industry relations director, speaking about a recent AAA study.
AAA evaluated four vehicles that were equipped with active driving assistance (ADA) systems in 2018. According to the study, these systems assist the driver with vehicle acceleration, braking and steering. The association focused on two questions: how do vehicles equipped with ADA systems per-form during scenarios reasonably encountered in highway driving situations, and how do vehicles equipped with ADA systems perform during naturalistic highway driving? Highway driving situations were evaluated via closed-course testing, according to the study, while naturalistic highway driving was evaluated on public highways and interstates.
AAA’s research found that, over the course of 4,000 miles of “real-world driving,” vehicles equipped with ADA systems experienced an issue every eight miles, on average. Association researchers highlighted issues with vehicle systems unable to keep the vehicles tested in specific lanes and coming too close to other vehicles or guardrails. AAA also found that ADA systems, those that combine vehicle acceleration with braking and steering, often disengage with little notice, which according to the study, almost instantly gives the control back to the driver. AAA recommends manufacturers increase the scope of testing for ADA systems.
“Manufacturers need to work toward more dependable technology, including improving lane keeping assistance and providing more adequate alerts,” said Brannon.
When AAA tested the functionality of active driving assistance on public roadways 73% of errors involved instances of lane departure or erratic lane position. Its closed-course testing found the systems performed mostly as expected, and were challenged when approaching a simulated disabled vehicle. When encountering this test scenario, in aggregate, a collision occurred 66% of the time, ac-cording to the study. For a simulated stop-and-go scenario, none of the evaluated ADA systems made contact with a lead vehicle for all tested deceleration rates.
According to the study, currently available ADA systems are not capable of sustained vehicle operation without constant driver supervision, and it is imperative that the driver maintain situational awareness at all times.
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