How to Interpret Heavy Vehicle EDR Data, Day 3

William Messerschmidt
Principal Technical Analyst 

Today marked the third day of the TU HVEDR class, which is the day we set aside for field work and demonstrations.

In the morning, participants got to begin hands-on ECM downloads of Detroit Diesel, Caterpillar, and Cummins ECMs. Dr. Daily and his graduate students also assisted in demonstrating actual data transmissions over the J1939 network.

Freightliner of Tulsa brought a brand new 2012 Freightliner Cascadia with DDEC 10 electronics. Participants got to download the truck using DDEC Reports and DDDL 7 software and see (on a clean, new truck) the parts specific to Sustained Catalytic Reduction (SCR), like the Aftertreatment Control Module (ACM) and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) tank.

In the afternoon, we went to the Tulsa Fairgrounds and had the chance to test two fully instrumented Kenworth tractors, which were donated by Melton Transportation. Tests were performed with a Road Relay 4 attached, with a Safety Pass Pro attached, and with parameter changes made to some of the trucks' parameters. Using a Video VBox 4, we were able to capture CAN data on vehicle speed, engine speed brake, and clutch status (and other parameters as well).

Thanks to the assistance of the Tulsa Fire Department, Freightliner of Tulsa, Melton Transportation, today's field day was a very successful event!

How to Interpret Heavy Vehicle EDRs, Day 2

William Messerschmidt
Principal Technical Analyst 

The second day of Tulsa University CESE's class on HVEDR data begins the focus on specific engine manufacturers.

This morning, Ron Baade discussed and demonstrated the ECM and EDR data in Detroit Diesel and Mercedes Benz engines, including DDEC IV - DDEC 10, and the 2001 - 2008 MBE engines.

During the afternoon, I taught the section on Cummins ECMs, beginning with the 2002 ISX and ISM heavy duty engines, through the CM2250 and CM2150 EPA 2010 engines. Topics included data limitations, the effects of power failure, anomalies that have been found in the data, fault data (diagnostic trouble codes), and case studies.

In the evening, Ron, Jeremy Daily, and I went to Melton Trucking and began to prep the test trucks for tomorrow's testing. The trucks will include two 2012 Kenworths, and a 2012 Freightliner. In tomorrow's class, Dr. Daily will be presenting more information and examples of CAN data.

Heavy Truck ECM Testing

Last week we began field testing for our latest ECM-related research project. Over the last decade, researchers and engineers have conducted a great deal of testing to validate data from the Event Data Recorders (EDRs) in heavy vehicles. Our goal is to build on this body of knowledge and learn more about how these devices capture data under the extreme circumstances that are often present in a crash. Scientifically, what we are trying to do is perform research that is "ecologically valid." In other words, research that very closely mimics what happens to the ECM in the environment we're interested in: the crash itself.

Since we can't simply go out and crash a lot of trucks (we've conducted over 80 controlled tests so far--going back to our initial testing in Hattiesburg, MS, in March), it has taken some creativity and skill! For this, we're indebted to the fine engineers and forensic scientists who are working on the project with MSC.

With the contributions of Tim Cheek (Delta[v] Forensic Engineers), Tim Austin (Wisconsin State Patrol), Ben Smith, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, we were able to test Mack and Cummins ECMs last week. Our testing will continue in September in Wisconsin, where our goal is to finish the testing.