[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 221 (Thursday, November 15, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57506-57507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28621]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2001-10196]


Electronically Controlled Braking System Test Track Validation

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Research Activity.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking 
partners who have the potential of providing electronically controlled 
braking systems (ECBS) that can be used in an electronically controlled 
braking system test track evaluation. This notice describes criteria 
and tests that will be applied to each candidate system as part of the 
determination of fitness for inclusion in this evaluation. 
Manufacturers of systems that meet these criteria are invited to submit 
a description of their system and instructions on operation of the 
system to DOT.
    Each system must satisfy the following criteria: (1) It must be 
designed to work in conjunction with standard, air-actuated drum brake 
mechanisms (i.e., the ``foundation'' brakes) currently used on the vast 
majority of commercial vehicles; (2) it must provide proportional 
electronic control of the foundation brake mechanisms in response to 
brake pedal inputs from the driver, and primary control of the 
foundation brakes must be via electronic signals and electropneumatic 
valves; (3) it must provide the antilock function as defined by Federal 
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 121, Air Brake Systems (49 
CFR 571.121); (4) in the event of any single electrical or pneumatic 
failure in the control system, performance of the vehicle it is 
installed on must comply with the emergency brake stopping distance 
requirements of S5.7.2 of FMVSS No. 121; (5) the system must be 
designed to be compatible with conventional, pneumatically controlled 
braking systems (PCBS) to allow safe operation of tractor and trailer 
combinations where one of the units has ECBS and the other utilizes 
PCBS; and (6) the system shall be designed to be durable, reliable, and 
able to withstand the full range of environmental and operational 
conditions encountered in commercial vehicle operations.
    Any system that meets the above criteria may be included in a DOT-
sponsored test track study to evaluate the validity and reliability of 
its capability to electronically control braking systems on commercial 
motor vehicles. This planned test track evaluation was previously 
developed by a working group of brake experts formed by the Society of 
Automotive Engineers (SAE) under Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration (FMCSA) Contract No. DTMC75-01-P-00022 as part of the 
Intelligent Vehicle Initiative. Various ECBS will be evaluated by SAE 
at the Transportation Research Center, Inc., located in East Liberty, 
Ohio. Various Class 7 and 8 heavy duty tractors and commercial trailers 
will be used in this evaluation of the validity and reliability of 
these systems' capability to electronically control braking systems on 
commercial motor vehicles under a cooperative agreement with the 
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Contract No. DTFH61-96-X-00015, 
Amendment No. 18.
    The offeror understands that the system, if selected to participate 
in the test track evaluation, will be tested as provided. The analysis 
that is derived from this test track work will be made publicly 
available; however, the system will not be identified by manufacturer. 
The offeror shall in no way interfere with the procedures or personnel 
involved in conducting or managing the study.
    Furthermore, (1) previous studies and research involving the device 
may be disclosed and provided to the Federal Government to assist in 
evaluating the ``fitness'' of the system for evaluation; (2) selection 
to participate in the test track study will NOT constitute an 
endorsement of the device by the Federal Government; and (3) 
involvement does not constitute a promise of any future relationship 
with the Federal Government.
    The systems will be tested in an outdoor test track environment. A 
test matrix will be used to assess various configurations of ECBS-
equipped vehicles as ECBS can be provided in various formats. The ECBS 
systems will be tested on a range of different Class 7 and 8 trucks, 
tractors, and commercial semitrailers equipped with new, burnished 
foundation brakes. To provide a baseline for comparison, vehicles will 
be tested first with conventional pneumatically controlled brake 
systems (PCBS) in accordance with FMVSS No. 121. This testing will 
include stopping distance and static brake timing tests. Vehicles will 
then be modified to incorporate ECBS, and the tests will be repeated. 
The tests with ECBS will evaluate a broad range of possible failure 
modes in order to assess partial system performance and compliance with 
the emergency stopping requirements of FMVSS No. 121.
    As part of the testing program, the stopping performance of 
combination vehicles (i.e., tractor semitrailers) will be evaluated in 
order to determine compatibility between individual units with ECBS and 
PCBS.
    The test results will be shared with the manufacturers of these 
systems. DOT is only interested in testing systems that are 
operationally ready.

DATES: Submit system descriptions on or before December 17, 2001.

ADDRESSES: All proposals should refer to Docket No. NHTSA-2001-10196 
and should be submitted to Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Docket hours are from 9 a.m. to 
5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you wish to receive confirmation of 
your written comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped 
postcard.
    Proposals may also be sent by electronic submission. The electronic 
submission procedure is described in the Docket Management section of 
DOT's web site: http//www.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Britell, Mail Code NRD-13, Office 
of Vehicle Safety Research, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington 
DC 20590-0001, telephone (202) 366-5678.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    DOT has created a program titled the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative 
(IVI). The goal of the IVI program is to increase safety on the 
Nation's highways through the acceleration of the deployment of on-
vehicle safety devices. One of the primary focus areas of the IVI is 
commercial motor vehicle stability.

[[Page 57507]]

Further information on the IVI program may be found on web site 
www.ivi.its.dot.gov/ivi. Additionally, DOT has the goal of reducing 
truck-involved fatalities by 50 percent by the year 2010. Additional 
information concerning DOT and its commercial motor vehicle safety 
goals may be found on web sites www.nhtsa.dot.gov and 
www.fmcsa.dot.gov.
    Electronically controlled braking is viewed as a technology that 
can provide shorter stopping distances (improved timing), improved 
dynamic brake force distribution, improved combination vehicle brake 
balance, self-diagnosis, and continuous brake monitoring. Because of 
the complexity of this technology (ranging from shorter stopping 
distances to improved vehicle brake diagnostics) and the various 
systems involved, it was suggested by the Truck Manufacturers 
Association at a public hearing sponsored by the National 
Transportation Safety Board in Nashville, Tennessee, August 31 through 
September 2, 1999, on Advanced Safety Technologies Applicable to 
Commercial Vehicles, that industry and Government work together in the 
preliminary track and operational testing of these braking systems. 
Additionally, electronically controlled brakes are an enabling 
technology whose benefits could extend to, and enhance, a number of 
vehicle braking and dynamic control system issues.
    Numerous factors play a contributing role in causing heavy-duty 
tractor/trailer and passenger car crashes. Inadequate braking 
performance is a significant cause of commercial and vehicle crashes. 
The existing brake systems have performance limits. To more effectively 
address the brake-related issue of crashes (1) due to brake failures or 
defective brakes, (2) due to maladjusted and/or overheated brakes, and 
(3) where the heavy-duty vehicle is unable to stop in time, it is 
obvious to brake experts that some kind of adaptive electronic control 
system will be required. In 1993, brake manufacturer Bosch and truck 
manufacturer Scania introduced the first production-like brake by wire 
system for tractors/trucks and trailer/semitrailers. This technology is 
more commonly called Electronically Controlled Braking System (ECBS) 
for commercial vehicles. Other brake manufacturers and truck 
manufacturers have developed similar, although not identical, systems. 
Due to a lack of standardization of the tractor/trailer interface, 
production has been mostly limited to straight trucks and tractors. The 
next generation of electronic braking systems is well under way, taking 
advantage of the Controller Area Network technology, a joint 
development of Bosch and Intel of a data bus especially suited for the 
requirements in heavy duty vehicles.
    DOT, NHTSA has addressed brake-induced instability by requiring ABS 
on newly manufactured tractors and trailers (FMVSS No. 121). The basic 
function of ABS is to monitor wheel speed and modulate the air pressure 
in the brake chambers in a manner to prevent wheel lock during severe 
braking. The successful introduction and acceptance of ABS by industry 
was only accomplished after many years of track testing and an 
extensive 4-year field operational test. The planned test track 
evaluation of ECBS solicited by this notice will be accomplished under 
a cooperative agreement between the FHWA and SAE. This evaluation is 
intended as a precursor to an on-the-road field operational test, which 
will include a motor carrier fleet in revenue generating service.

Technology Submission Instructions

    Submit proposed system descriptions in English, including the 
Docket Number (NHTSA-2001-10196), to DOT's Public Docket Management 
Room at the previously listed address. The submission should include 
the following:
    1. A description of the system, along with operating instructions.
    2. The submission should be no more than five pages in length.
    3. Any existing evidence of objective validity or reliability is 
encouraged to be submitted. This information DOES NOT count toward the 
5-page length limit.
    4. Three copies of your submission.
    5. Your name, address, phone number, and E-mail address.
    6. DO NOT submit your system at this time.
    7. Applications, once submitted, become the property of DOT.

    Issued on: November 6, 2001.
Raymond P. Owings,
Associate Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 01-28621 Filed 11-14-01; 8:45 am]
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