As urban population continues to grow, the safety of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) particularly in the presence of Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) has emerged as a critical concern. Research indicates that VRUs are at a 50% higher risk of fatal injury in collisions involving HGVs compared to passenger cars. To address this issue, this study proposes a novel pedestrian protection system that integrates LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology with a reusable airbag system to mitigate the severity of collisions.
The proposed solution adopts a twofold approach for enhancing VRU protection in scenarios involving HGVs. In both approaches, LiDAR sensors are used to generate a real-time 3D model of the vehicle’s surroundings, enabling accurate VRU detection and predictive collision analysis.
Scenario 1: When vehicle speed exceeds the first threshold and a collision is unavoidable, the onboard ECU activates front lid actuators, extending the vehicle's front lid which can be retracted back to its original position manually.
Scenario 2: If vehicle speed exceeds a second, higher threshold, the system not only actuates the front lid but also deploys a non-pyrotechnic reusable airbag using compressed air and turbojet canisters.
The extended front lid creates a space between the VRU’s head and the vehicle's hard structures, managing energies and reducing the risk of severe body injuries. The reusable airbag, covering the front lid’s corners, adds an additional cushioning effect at higher speeds.
Headform impact simulations conducted on the truck front demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed active front-lid mechanism. Six impact locations were evaluated using an LSTC® pedestrian headform, and the deployed front-lid configuration consistently showed notable reductions in Head Injury Criterion (HIC) values compared to the undeployed state. In particular, the additional deformation space created during deployment significantly reduced the severity of head impact with the underlying hard structures showing improvement in the performance.
By combining advanced sensing with active impact mitigation technologies, this system offers a proactive, sustainable solution to enhance VRU safety in urban environment. The integration of LiDAR-equipped HGVs with reusable airbags represents a significant step forward in reducing traffic-related VRU injuries and fatalities.