- Industry-first technology saves time and spares human drivers from
physical abuse by accelerating high-impact on-road and off-road
durability testing
- Patented robotic durability testing used to ensure Ford trucks,
including the all-new 2017 F-Series Super Duty, are Built Ford Tough
DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 3, 2015 – Ford is licensing robotic test
driving technology to other automakers. The industry-first technology
saves time and spares human drivers from such physically demanding tasks
as driving over curbs and through potholes in durability testing.
Ford engineers worked with Utah-based Autonomous Solutions Inc. (ASI)
to further develop ASI’s software and components that enable
autonomous, robotic options of test vehicles. Now, other automakers are
set to benefit from Ford’s patented technology.
“This robotic testing kit is available to purchase directly from ASI
immediately,” said Chris Danowski, director of technology
commercialization and intellectual property licensing, Ford Global
Technologies.
“Several automotive OEMs have already placed orders to
purchase systems for their own testing.”
Robotic durability testing includes a control module installed in the
test vehicle that controls vehicle steering. Ford-developed bell crank
actuators control the throttle and brake pedals with a metal rod. The
module is set to follow a preprogrammed course, and the vehicle’s
position is tracked by cameras in a central control room and via GPS
accurate to plus/minus one inch.
Should the vehicle stray from its course, engineers have the ability
to stop it, course correct as necessary, and restart the test. Onboard
sensors can command a full stop if a pedestrian or another vehicle
strays into the test vehicle’s path.
Robotically driven vehicles are expected to repeatedly perform tests
on torturous surfaces with names like Silver Creek, Power Hop Hill and
Curb Your Enthusiasm. These tests can compress 10 years of daily driving
abuse into courses just a few hundred yards long, with surfaces that
include broken concrete, cobblestones, metal grates, rough gravel, mud
pits and oversized speed bumps.
The innovative technology is helping to ensure the all-new 2017
F-Series Super Duty – Ford’s toughest, smartest, most capable Super Duty
ever – is Built Ford Tough. Super Duty has undergone the equivalent of
years of abuse and durability testing in a short amount of time to
ensure it will hold up to a lifetime of the hard work its owners expect.
Ford has granted a patent license to ASI, providing the company
rights to incorporate and use its bell crank actuators in the systems
ASI sells to other automakers and suppliers to test cars, trucks, buses
and military vehicles.
“We’re proud to work with Ford to help develop this technology and to
be granted a license from Ford Global Technologies,” said Mel Torrie,
CEO, ASI. “The enhancements we’ve made with Ford will improve the
durability, reliability and performance of these systems – allowing for
even more accurate testing and higher-quality vehicles.”
In use since 2013, Ford’s latest generation of robotic testing
technology has seen significant improvements in reaction time and
accuracy of the throttle and brake. Patented new design changes simplify
installation, resulting in reduced installation time. Other changes
enable fewer modifications to test vehicles and improved system
performance with better component response. The system can quickly be
deactivated, allowing a test engineer to gain control of the vehicle
from the driver’s seat.
