Motion Tracking in Crash Test Applications with Inertial Measurement Units

A new measurement system for dummy movement and chassis deformation in crash tests overcomes the restriction of blind areas in the existing photo camera observation. An inertial platform technique with micromechanical acceleration and rotation speed sensors is applied. Reconstruction of the original movement with tolerances of a few millimeters can be achieved. Various tests in automotive applications have demonstrated the performance and robustness of the system.