Winterthur, December 2020 – Progress and mobility result in greater speed and higher efficiency. Recent decades have seen enormous advances in the precise acquisition of vehicle dynamics measurands, and this technology will continue to be a key factor in vehicle optimization as time goes on. We take a look into the past and the future – based on the example of Correvit sensor technology from Kistler.
Movements of people and goods are the backbone of modern societies, and they play an essential part in cultural and economic relations. The enormous increase in speed and mobility brought about by railways and automobiles is a major driver of growth and prosperity. The critical goal for vehicle developers is greater efficiency: and that means higher speed and lower consumption of resources. But at the same time, the global increase in traffic volumes – especially in conurbations – suggests that stricter control or even automation of traffic is likely to yield efficiency gains as compared to the individual modes of transport that are prevalent today.
How are these developments impacting vehicle measurement technology? Using the Correvit family of sensors from Kistler as an example, this article describes past and future changes in the scope of application for multidimensional position and speed measurement. The origins of contact-free and slip-free measurements of vehicle speed in relation to the carriageway date back almost 30 years. The principle of correlation – an innovative development in its day – made it possible to perform previously unimaginable measurements, which have mainly been used for full-vehicle dynamics characterizations. Then as now, the focus is on exploring the physical limits for agility, performance and steering, as requirements for active vehicle safety have continued to increase.