In this paper will be explained how photogrammetry and tracking technologies are a highly accurate alternative to accelerometers instrumented sensors related to distances calculations between objects or vehicle interior parts and the dummies. Photogrammetry is used to calculate the real-world point’s position on an image. The tracking system uses algorithms to follow points and keep the same center point at each movie frame. A software application combines these two elements to provide position, velocity, acceleration and angles of every point on the movie for the 3-dimensional axis.
The tracking technology can be applied for on dummy’s analysis head impact criterion (HIC) against internal structure and objects as the pole. The use of internal sensors for this kind of analysis, only offers a yes/no response and yet tracking provides the exact distance between head and the interior components. Using tracking technology the distance between the dummy’s head and any other structural part of the vehicle can be known and even the distance between the head and the steering wheel can be calculated. Therefore, knowing the distances and the resultant forces from the sensors, improvements at the restraint systems can be done in order to decrease the severity implemented to the dummy from the restraint systems itself.
In this paper several crash test had been analyzed to determine if the implemented methodology is accurate. Results are shown and conclusions about the benefits of using the tracking technology are explained.