Crash Data Presentation Leveraging Existing Data Storage 980217

With the increasing complexity of the Crashworthiness development process in recent years, engineers are required to have a greater understanding of the mechanisms which lead to injury of the occupants. As both tests and simulations become more complex, the volume of data increases. The average channel count has increased by three times, the number of camera positions doubled and the number of tests conducted has been increased fourfold in the last few years. There is an ever increasing emphasis on mathematical simulations to reduce development cycle times and costs. Test and simulation are often out-sourced, requiring access to information from diverse and remote sources with minimum transfer times. Development has become a shared activity between manufacturers' teams and their suppliers, demanding common access to the same data.

Large quantities of data can now be presented to engineers in a multimedia computer based format. This gives access to the underlying information, allowing an insight into vehicle and component performance. Currently, the data is processed and held in a specific format requiring storage independent of other systems.

This paper describes a significant advance in the technology used to access data directly from existing data storage systems. By exploiting this technique, virtually instant access to data can be provided to engineers after tests are completed - regardless of location.

We shall demonstrate the possibility of rapid access to typical data used in the development of vehicles for safety legislation, retrieving data from multiple sources from around the world.