Cyclist target and test setup for the evaluation of cyclist-autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems

From 2018, AEB systems dedicated to avoid or mitigate passenger car-to-cyclist collisions will be considered in the safety assessment by Euro NCAP. To test such systems, appropriate equipment has been developed in the project CATS “Cyclist-AEB Testing System.” Moreover, the project dealt with setting up a proposal for the most relevant test scenarios. The objective of the project was to provide proof of the relevance of the proposed test scenarios and of the feasibility of practical implementation of the scenarios and test setup to Euro NCAP. Accidentology was used to determine the most common car-to-cyclist accident scenarios in the EU. The test setup has been developed to deal with the three most relevant scenarios: two scenarios for a cyclist crossing the path of the car (from the near side and the far side), and a longitudinal scenario in which the car drives into the cyclist from the rear. Requirements regarding a soft cyclist target have been set up. These consider target visual and radar characteristics as typical AEB systems and the applied sensors should recognize the target as a real cyclist on a bike. Moreover, requirements to the design of the testing system and target result from practical testing constraints: during testing, possible collisions between car and target should be mild without compromising the testing. A target and target propulsion system were constructed to meet these requirements. Accident data and data from observation studies were used to determine the parameter ranges in the proposed test matrix for the selected test scenarios. Together with car manufacturers and suppliers, a test matrix has been proposed and a testing setup including cyclist target has been built. In several test series, the test setup and the protocol were verified. Verification considered not only the capability of the protocol to distinguish between well-performing and less-performing AEB systems, but also the reproducibility and repeatability of the tests. Also the practical use of the system and the target were tested. The CATS project was unique in the fact that developments were performed in a consortium of 10 car manufacturers and 7 automotive suppliers, with BASt as review partner. This has stimulated the harmonization and acceptance of the protocol, target and test setup. The progress and intermediate results including the used methodology have been shared on a regular basis during the project with stakeholders in Europe, Japan and the USA. Euro NCAP already indicated to consider the results of the CATS project as the main input to draft the test protocol, including scenarios and target for Cyclist-AEB systems in 2018.