News and Updates
October 15, 2007
Toyota Technical Center USA (TEMA) Selects iWall for their new Crash Facility
TEMA has awarded FTSA a contract for a 160 channel high resolution iWall equipped with the DTS TDAS G5. The iWall will be a part of TEMA's new state of the art facility in Ann Arbor Michigan. Delivery of the crash wall is scheduled for May 1, 2008 and will be fully commissioned and operable for their grand opening. More plans for the iCrash product line are also in the works which shows Toyota's commitment have the most technologically advanced facility in the industry.
April 30, 2007
First Technology Safety & Analysis Holdings Ltd. (FTSA) Announces
iCrash Contracts in Sweden
Plymouth, Michigan, April 30, 2007 – FTSA has
been awarded a contract by Volvo Car Corporation (VCC) in Gothenburg,
Sweden to provide six Hybrid III 50th Crash Dummies with integrated sensors
and TDAS G5 Data Acquisition Systems from DTS.
Press Release
March 20, 2007
GM Rollover Testing Lab using new DTS Products
General Motors’ new rollover testing facility at the Milford Proving
Ground opened last December with plans to run 150 to 200 full vehicle
rollover crash tests per year. GM test engineers selected several DTS
products for the lab to support trip-over, ditch fall-over, corkscrew
and dolly rollover tests.
GM decided early on to run the test vehicles without any trailing cables
and use their existing DTS wireless system for the project. They also
wanted to integrate equipment from different manufacturers and across
DTS product lines. DTS was tasked with developing a solution to integrate
full support for all equipment.
Understanding uninterruptible power is a significant element of a successful
crash, DTS designed the crash-rated, 400 Watt-hour, TDAS PLUS Smart Battery
to power the on-board DAS, iDummy™
systems and high-speed cameras. The TDAS PLUS System Distributor integrates
signals from all equipment and communicates via an internal hub to the
control room operator. The TDAS PLUS Wireless Ethernet system communicates
with the control room to program the DAS, iDummy™
systems, and high-speed imagers before testing and downloads the data
and video post-test.The TDAS PLUS Wireless I/O provides a high reliability
interface to communicate the start record and status signals to the control
room during the test.
Rollover tests put extraordinary demands on the crash dummies which can
experience several inversions within the 3 to 5 second test duration or
even be ejected from the vehicle.GM decided to use the iDummy™
system from FTSS which uses 64 channels of TDAS G5 mounted in the spine
box of each dummy. No external DAS is required—all 64 channels are
integrated seamlessly inside each dummy—forever eliminating the
need for traditional DAS mounted in the trunk or other area of the vehicle
to support dummy systems. The self contained iDummy™
systems are also easier to handle and set-up. The TDAS G5 DAS connect
to the TDAS G5 Distributor also inside the dummy and one cable exits each
iDummy™. Up to four iDummy™
systems can be plugged directly into the TDAS PLUS System Distributor.
The single exit cable provides main power, communications, status and
event signals to the iDummy™, but even
if this cable is broken, internal back-up batteries allow the iDummy™
systems to continue to record data without interruption.
The wireless solutions provided by DTS are suitable for any crash test
application and can be used to eliminate the umbilical cable on sled systems.
Please call your DTS Representative to ask how DTS wireless solutions
can work for you.
iDummy™ is a registered trademark of
First Technology Safety Systems, Inc.
February 9, 2007
iDummy™
Featured in Media Publications
July 14, 2006
H-III 5th Female iDummy™
Honda R&D recently awarded the iCrash team an order for the first
(2) H-III 5th female iDummies. The iDummy has the capability of
64 Data Acquisition channels through (2) DTS TDAS G5 modules. FTSS has
improved the iDummy by implementing rugged NanoD connectors which replace
the strip Omnetics. This design also meets both weight and center of gravity
requirements of the standard H-III 5th Dummy. One unique feature is the
TDAS G5 modules and the T-4 accelerometers will be easily accessible through
a hinged spine box. Honda expects to be testing with the 5th iDummy by
December 2006.
May 8, 2006
SID-IIs iDummy™
On April 18, 2006, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded
FTSS a purchase order for two SID-IIs SBL “C” iDummies. FTSS
expects to deliver these by September 2006. The IIHS will set the bar
for the use of internal data acquisition.
On April 3, 2006, FTSS and DTS unveiled the production release of the
first SID-IIs iDummy at the SAE Congress 2006 in Detroit, Michigan. With
the large channel counts and small physical size of the SID-IIs we felt
iDummy technology was a viable solution to improving dummy response and
kinematics.
The SID-IIs iDummy is capable of, but not restricted to, 64 channels of
internal data acquisition with the use of two TDAS G5 units. Mechanically
the only significant change was to the dummy spine box. All weights and
centers of gravity meet the current drawing package. The Omnetics strip
connectors, as used on the WorldSID, were eliminated due to durability
concerns and replaced with robust NanoD connectors. The SBL “C”
or “D” SID-IIs can be easily upgraded to iDummy. The dummy
can also be easily switched from left side to right side impact configuration.
The SID-IIs iDummy is scheduled for customer demonstrations throughout
the month of May. Please contact your FTSS Sales Representative to schedule
an onsite demo.
April 12, 2006
iTrolley™ development completed
at TNO Automotive
In December 2005, TS-M in with the testing assistance of TNO Automotive
in the Netherlands, completed the development of their first integrated
and intelligent mobile force measuring crash barrier, know as iTrolley.
The TDAS G5 DAS system developed for the iWall, which integrates the TDAS
G5 inside the load cell mounting plate, provides the iTrolley with a smart
yet simple solution. The small size and low mass of the TDAS G5 DAS meets
the increasing need for data acquisition systems that can be moved quickly
and easily from application to application. Using specially developed
light weight load cells, mounting plates and mobile barrier, TS-M were
able to add force measurement to the mobile barrier but also keep the
trolley under the total mass of 1250Kg, while still being able to control
and adjust both the C of G and inertia positions to with in a 1 inch cube.
Press Release
March 20, 2006
iWall™ Commissioned at Applus+
IDIADA, Spain
Farnborough, Hampshire, UK - Over the past 6 years,
Thames Side–Maywood (a First Technology company) has successfully
developed high resolution crash walls. Recently they have made an innovative
step in the future of integrated crash wall technology better known as
the iWall™.
The force measuring crash wall arrays have developed considerably in the
past few years, with the automotive industry striving for more useful
information regarding vehicles in impact conditions. The use of vehicle
crash test walls using specialist strain gauged crash wall load cells
is now an essential part of the process of bringing a new car to market
and contributes towards raising safety standards in vehicles. During crash
testing, it’s necessary to accurately measure the forces exerted
by the vehicle through the duration of the crash
Thames Side–Maywood’s challenge has been to meet the demands
of crash labs all over the world by supplying a product that is quick
to configure prior to a test and can easily retrieve useful data after
the test. The most recent of the world’s laboratories that came
to TS-M was Applus+ IDIADA, in Spain.
Applus+ IDIADA stated, “Because we are an independent lab and
a EuroNCAP test house, IDIADA believe we will get better continuity of
results if we operate the same high performance solutions as UTAC, TNO
and TRL, a Thames Side-Maywood strain gauged crash wall.”
Press Release
January 10, 2006
iDummy with TDAS G5 DAS now Compatible with Kayser-Threde Systems
Data Sheet
IIHS awards FTSS a contract to implement iDummy Technology starting
with BioRID II.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded First Technology
Safety Systems a contract to upgrade their existing crash dummy inventory
to iDummy beginning with two BioRID II Rear Impact Crash dummies. FTSS
will install the DTS 32 channel TDAS G5 Data acquisition system making
no change to the BioRID’s Weight and CG. The two BioRID iDummies
will be operational and delivered in March 2006.
The iDummy was the chosen technology based on the experience and quality
standard that the team of FTSS and DTS brings. Both companies are recognized
as the market leaders in in-Dummy DAS technology. Unlike other systems
out there, the iDummy technology has been implemented and accepted worldwide.
The flexibility and modularity of the TDAS G5 is the chosen in-dummy data
collection system that is being introduced for the future of all crash
dummy applications.
The IIHS is in the process of upgrading many components of their test
facility offering up the newest and most advanced technology available.
Implementing the iDummy system along with the DTS DAS is setting the bar
high and shows that they are dedicated to providing the most accurate
data to date.
The Indy Racing League has awarded THOR-FT iDummy to Delphi
First Technology has successfully delivered the THOR-FT iDummy to Delphi,
which was purchased by the Indy Racing League. Delphi and the IRL chose
THOR-FT to have the most technologically advanced dummy to evaluate their
Safety Systems such as Seat Belts and Feet Protection. The THOR-FT iDummy
will also be used to help develop the next-generation driver safety systems
such as seat belts, head and neck restraints, seat and helmet designs
and cockpit surround systems.
[more info]
IDIADA of Spain Purchases iWall
(Farnborough, England, UK) Thames Side-Maywood (TS-M), a First Technology
company, has been awarded a purchase order for the delivery of an iWall
under the iCrash Technology product line from Applus+ IDIADA.
Applus+ IDIADA Corporation, located in Santa Oliva, Spain, is the division
of the AGBAR Group specializing in the area of certification, operating
in 25 different sectors including automotive, construction, food and environment.
In the area of automotive certification, Applus+ is present in all stages
of the vehicle life cycle, offering a wide range of services to both the
general public and the automotive industry. Adding the latest iWall technology
for vehicle compatibility shows their strong efforts in gaining the advantage
of being Europe’s most technologically advanced testing facility.
iCrash Technology wins the
AEI Tech 2005 Award
Automotive Engineering Magazine Awarded
First Technology Safety Systems, Thames Side-Maywood and DTS with the
AEI Tech 2005 Award for the Top New Products at the SAE 2005 World Congress
in Detroit, Michigan.
iCrash Technology 24 hour support
email established
Customers can now contact an elite group of iCrash
Technology experts 24 hours a day from all over the world through one
email address. You will receive a follow-up email from your territory
representative within a 24 hour period. Please email us at support@icrashtech.com
for all questions and technical inquires
|
