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Total Control for AWD Territory

Staff, Monday September 15, 2003.

Page 1 of 1

In another outstanding industry first, Ford's new AWD Territory will boast the first stability control system available on an Australian-built vehicle.

Ford Australia President Geoff Polites said customers would benefit enormously from the thousands of hours' work Ford engineers had devoted to the program, working hand-in-hand with experts from Bosch Automotive's Chassis Systems division.

Working in tandem with Ford's all-new front suspension in Territory, stability control adds an extra dimension to the Territory handling system.

Promising new levels of ride and handling for an Australian-engineered vehicle, the Territory handling system consists of the all-new Virtual Pivot Control Link front suspension and a specially retuned version of the award-winning Control Blade IRS, and will be standard on the RWD model.

The AWD version of Territory will include stability as a standard feature.

"Ford has continually been at the forefront of implementing the latest safety features in its vehicles and the inclusion of stability control on the AWD Territory takes driver and passenger protection to new levels for a locally engineered car.

"Passive safety features such as excellent body rigidity, airbags and collapsible pedals come into play when an accident has already happened.

"Stability control is an active safety feature that can help avoid accidents before they even occur," Polites said.

Ford Vehicle Dynamics Manager Stephan Presser said the inclusion of stability control on the AWD version of Territory was particularly appropriate.

"Customers wanting to head off the beaten track are more likely to opt for the AWD version of Territory and will have a greater chance of encountering the slippery conditions that stability control is designed to counter.

"The RWD version is designed for those customers wanting the advantages of Territory such as command driving position and interior flexibility, but who are likely to limit their driving to typical urban conditions," Presser said.

How does it work?

"Stability control combines the advantages of Ford's Anti-Lock Braking system (ABS) and Traction Control System (TCS) and multiplies the benefits of both," said Presser.

"The best protection against accidents is to avoid them completely and stability control utilises the latest technology from Bosch to provide Territory with Australia's first locally engineered vehicle stability control system."

Presser said stability control was designed to maintain stability when the vehicle approaches its physical limits, through programmed intervention in the braking system and powertrain or a combination of both.

"It works in tandem with ABS ? which prevents the wheels from locking when the brakes are applied ? and TCS, which limits wheelspin during acceleration.

"Traction control ensures the vehicle remains controllable under heavy acceleration that typically occurs taking off on slippery roads, negotiating a hill or accelerating out of a corner.

"Traction control brakes the driven wheel, which shows a tendency to spin, and adapts the engine torque to obtain maximum traction."

Presser said sensors located at each wheel calculated the slip of each driven wheel and initiated traction control if slip levels are deemed excessive. Consequently, traction control intervenes on all four wheels on the AWD version of Territory.

The system also continually monitors driver input via a sensor on the Electronic Throttle Control.

"As soon as the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) detects a deviation from desired wheel speeds, the speed of the spinning wheel is automatically reduced by brake intervention, without any action on the part of the driver.

"Simultaneously, the ECU intervenes via an electronic throttle valve actuator to reduce excess engine torque."

Presser described stability control as the next generation in driving aids, employing Territory's braking system as a tool for 'controlling ' the vehicle.

"When stability control assumes operation it makes use of the existing braking system. The basic function of the brakes ? to decelerate or stop the vehicle ? is enhanced as stability control maintains Territory's stability and desired course."

Presser said stability control incorporated three vital elements in addition to the traction control system hardware ? a steering wheel angle sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor and a rotational yaw rate sensor.

The steering wheel sensor constantly monitors steering wheel angle, or the driver's intended direction of travel.

The yaw and lateral acceleration sensors track Territory's rotation around its vertical axis and its lateral motion.

"Stability control is constantly working in the background, monitoring all its sensors 50 times a second, to check the driver's steering wheel position, throttle pedal position, whether the driver is braking or not, and where the vehicle is actually going.

"By comparing the actual measured yaw rate with a calculated optimal yaw rate, the system is able to intervene early enough to reduce the risk of unwanted skids and potential loss of control.

"Specific braking intervention is then directed at individual wheels ? such as the inner rear to counter understeer, or the outer front during oversteer. Stability control also modulates engine outputs to reduce wheel spin and vehicle speed when necessary. "

Ford engineers have worked closely with the Bosch team to ensure stability control complements Territory's car-like ride and handling characteristics.

Testing has been conducted on the ice-covered lakes of Sweden, on the harsh, rough gravel roads of the Australian outback, and also performed a variety of real world driving tests in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain.

Presser stressed stability control could not defy the laws of physics.

"Stability control significantly enhances the safety window in which the driver can operate the car, but it cannot perform miracles.

"It is an incredibly useful and practical driving aid that has enormous potential to reduce the possibility of a crash."

Presser said the software came into operation during situations that could occur in everyday driving, often without the driver noticing it had happened.

"For example, if the driver approaches a bend that tightens more sharply than expected, the driver will suddenly turn the wheel in the intended direction of turn, but may be carrying too much speed to safely negotiate the turn.

"Or, if a driver swerves rapidly to avoid colliding with an object or another vehicle on the road, the vehicle may not respond quickly enough to following the desired path, or may over-respond, resulting in oversteer.

"In both examples stability control will immediately notice the angle of steering wheel input and the direction of travel and brake the appropriate wheel to keep Territory stable and under control.

"It represents a genuine application of active safety that has the potential to significantly improve on road safety," Presser said.

Control at the Touch of a Button

Ford Territory owners will have the option of including the added safety feature of a descent control system on their car.

In essence, the system regulates the speed at which Territory travels downhill, particularly in steep, or difficult, off-road conditions.

The system ? available only on the all-wheel drive version of Territory ? is engaged by the driver via a dash-mounted switch.

Once engaged, the system automatically applies the brakes if a hill is detected, controlling the vehicle's descent speed.

The anti-lock braking system (ABS) automatically operates if changes in surface occur and the wheel sensors detect different wheel speeds.

Ford Vehicle Dynamics Manager Stephan Presser said the system provided greater levels of confidence and an extra level of control for the driver.

"Once the system is engaged, the driver doesn't need to use any of the pedals.

"The system takes charge, individually braking each wheel to maintain a steady 4 km/h descent. The driver only has to steer the car."

Presser said the speed of the descent could be increased using the steering wheel-mounted cruise control buttons.

"The default speed is 4 km/h, but the driver can set a preferred speed simply by using the cruise control buttons in steps of 1 km/h, up to a maximum speed of 25 km/h.

"The speed selected by the driver remains the set speed until the system is switched off or if the brakes are applied."

Presser said the cruise control speed set function was unique in the Ford world.

"If the driver presses the accelerator, the system will shift into 'stand-by' mode and the vehicle will pick up speed.

"When the driver takes his foot off the accelerator, the system is engaged again and the brakes will be applied to slow the vehicle back to the previous target speed."

Presser said the system would switch into stand-by mode when the driver accelerates above 35 km/h.

The system automatically switches off when vehicle speed passes 90 km/h.

Australian Tried and Tested

As far back as early 2000, Ford engineers began an exhaustive testing regime to produce the first stability control system on an Australian car.

Testing began in the virtual world of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), employing Ford's massive supercomputer centre in Dearborn.

Powered by supercomputers similar to those used by NASA or the CIA, it allowed Ford to test numerous models without the time or expense required to build physical prototypes.

In total, CAE testing of Territory totalled more than 20 million virtual kilometres, taking up more than 2 billion CPU seconds.

"CAE allowed for first-time system parameter settings long before the first confirmation prototype vehicle rolled off the line," said Ford Product Development Vice President Trevor Worthington.

"CAE is a helpful tool in reducing development time, however, all the virtual testing needs to be validated, confirmed and refined with real world testing.

"To that end, the Territory engineering team has already completed more than 1.1 million kilometres in the prototype vehicles, exploring the limits of stability control in a variety of environments.

"That has seen the team of Ford and Bosch engineers put Territory through its paces from the frozen lakes of Sweden, on the high-speed autobahns in Germany, and in the harsh outback of Central Australia."

Bosch Automotive Senior Application Engineer Carl Liersch said testing in such extreme conditions was vital to ensure appropriate operation and occupant safety.

Liersch said the frozen lakes in Sweden offered consistent surfaces covering extremes from polished ice to dry bitumen in a safe environment.

"Ideally, we require large areas with a low friction surface to conduct cornering and lane changing manoeuvres in safety and Sweden is the perfect place to do that.

"In addition, extreme low friction conditions are often experienced on Australian and New Zealand roads. It may be on the winter snowfields such as Thredbo, where temperatures as low as minus 24 degrees have been experienced, or on the Calder Highway in Victoria where 'black ice' is common in winter months.

"Of course, low friction conditions are not only restricted to winter. Wet clay or grass, leaf litter, etc, can also present challenging driving conditions.

"As a result, all the safety-related systems in Territory must be tested over the total spectrum of surface conditions."

Worthington said a key requirement of the Territory program was to provide customers with a vehicle that gave the image and utility of a 4x4 vehicle but without truck-like handling.

"The recurring theme from the numerous focus groups conducted on Territory was that people wanted a vehicle with car-like dynamics of ride, handling and manoeuverability.

"While testing in areas such as Sweden and outback Australia allowed us to investigate the limits of the stability control system, it was vital that Territory performed at its best in typical urban environments.

"To that end, the bulk of Territory evaluation has been carried out on some of the worst roads we could find in downtown Sydney and Melbourne to ensure Territory could easily cope with the conditions where most people will use the car.

"As well, we spent considerable time testing the car on Australia's unique dirt roads, with Bosch providing expert assistance in modifying the ABS software to cope with the different levels of traction drivers venturing off the highway can experience.

"It all adds up to thousands of hours tuning and re-tuning Territory in typical Australian conditions, despite being nine months away from launch," Worthington said.

To date, Ford and Bosch engineers have compiled a plethora of statistical data:

Ford and Bosch staff have devoted around 200,000 man hours to the project
Testing was conducted in seven overseas countries ? Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg and Norway
Air travel to and from all testing sites totalled over 600,000 kilometres
Testing was conducted in all mainland Australian states
Total distance covered to date is more than 1.1 million kilometres
The stability control system has been trialled on surfaces including sand, gravel, snow, ice, tarmac, clay and cobblestones
Temperature extremes ranged from minus 40 degrees in Sweden to 46 degrees in Central Australia

For further information, please contact:
Ford Australia Communications
Phone: 03-9359 8491

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