Advanced Protection for Vulnerable Road Users

There is increasing international interest in collision avoidance and more recently in safety systems for ‘Vulnerable Road Users’ (VRUs). The aim of the ‘Advanced Protection for Vulnerable Road Users’ (APVRU) project was to develop a sensor system capable of detecting VRUs, distinguishing them from the road environment, tracking their position and predicting potential impacts with the vehicle. Our fusion of sensor data from multiple, short range, high accuracy, pulse radar units and a low-resolution passive infrared sensor array serves to eliminate the majority of clutter by negating false triangulation combinations, whilst ensuring that only thermally distinct moving targets are considered. The intention is that a derivative of the sensor system may eventually provide the technological link between VRU detection and a driver warning, collision avoidance and/or the activation of a safety system on the vehicle (external airbags). The performance of the APVRU system was demonstrated during real-world accident scenarios, impacting with an anthropometric dummy, at speeds up to 25kph.