BRAKE TESTING WITH VBOX - DATA ANALYSIS
VBOX Test Suite is our free data analysis software that is available to all VBOX users. It comes with five dedicated Brake Testing plugins, making it easy to test a vehicle's braking or brake assist systems in real-time, in accordance with regulations from around the world.
Types of Brake Tests
Trigger Activated to a standstill
A most common test for evaluating the performance of braking systems is the trigger activated test. A trigger switch is added either to the face of the brake pedal, or into the electrical system system, to detect when the brake pedal has been pressed. Alternatively, the VBOX Test Suite Software can be used to recognise a trigger from the load applied to load cell. For example the test can be set to start when the load reaches 5N. This signals the start of the test and it ends when the vehicle comes to a complete stop or to a set speed. The distance between these two points is then calculated to measure braking performance. The VBOX Test Suite software then applies the necessary maths and the average from start (or MFDD) deceleration is calculated.
As this test starts when the pedal is pressed, it measures both the response of the braking system, as well as the performance of the tyre, brake pads, discs and other components.
In a trigger activated test, it is critical to accurately capture the point at which the brake pedal is pressed because the vehicle is usually traveling quite fast at this point. The VBOX 3i uses a very sophisticated method which measures this to within 25 billionth of a second!
VBOX test equipment enables you to capture pedal force and travel sensor outputs via analogue inputs at 500Hz.
PLUG-INS AVAIALBLE WITHIN THE FREE VBOX TEST SUITE SOFTWARE
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KEY FEATURES
You can easily configure the start and end conditions of each test. This could be the vehicle's speed, or for trigger-based tests, you could choose whether a brake pedal trigger or user-defined CAN channel should be used. Each plugin will ask you to enter the conditions that are relevant to that test type. 
Test results are presented in a user-friendly, intuiative way. You can easily filter results to include or exclude test runs, display average/max/min values and identify any runs which did not meet the required pass criteria. Every time a new test is started, a new tab will be added to the test results area, allowing you to switch between separate tests and compare runs from each. 
To ensure sufficient time or distance has passed since the previous run was completed, you can enter a minimum time and/or distance that needs to elapse before the next run takes place. If a run takes place before the specified time/distance has elapsed, that run will be highlighted in red to indicate an invalid run. |
VBOX Test Suite is compatible with any Windows-based PC, e.g. the Microsoft Surface Pro tablet, allowing you to see your results live from the test vehicle. Having instant feedback can save valuable testing time, particularly for more complicated tests such as R139 BAS. 
A comprehensive report can be generated at the end of the test, providing all session information and results for post-test analysis. You can either print the report or export it as an Excel, Word or PDF document, that can be easily shared with other engineers or teams. 
VBOX Test Suite also calculates MFDD (Mean Fully Developed Deceleration). This is the maximal deceleration figure a vehicle can achieve, determined by evaluating performance when the vehicle is loaded up and braking. The brake test plugins allow you to enter the start and end values (percentage or speed) for MFDD analysis. |