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Front Page
VDC AdvanceTrac Explained
Staff, Monday August 19, 2002.
Page 1 of 1
VDC AdvanceTrac continuously checks (150 times per second) whether the behaviour of a car is matching the steering input, using seven different vehicle sensors and two independent microprocessors.
As soon as it detects the first signs of any deviation, it is designed to intervene to help restore stability, reducing the risk that the driver might lose control.
VDC AdvanceTrac is an evolution of ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) and TCS (Traction Control System). It uses the engine management controls to reduce power if there are signs that traction might be lost when entering a turn.
It can also apply individual elements of the ABS braking system to initiate dynamic stabilising countermeasures before the car starts to deviate from the driver?s chosen line.
VDC AdvanceTrac uses the individual wheel speed-sensors of the ABS/TCS system in combination with three additional highly sophisticated sensors: one fitted around the steering column to monitor the driver?s inputs and two more mounted close to the centre of gravity to detect vehicle responses.
Whenever the behaviour of the car fails to match calibration data for the vehicle speed stored on a dynamic handling map in the on-board computer, stabilising counter-measures are initiated.
The four wheel-speed sensors of the ABS/TCS system are supplemented by a yaw-rate sensor and a lateral-acceleration sensor located under the front passenger seat close to the centre of gravity of the car. A sensor on the steering column assesses the driver?s input angle so the response to this input can be compared with a calibrated map of the known driving envelope.
The key to this advanced system is the application of aerospace technology to provide the extremely sensitive yaw rate sensor. It uses a physics concept, similar to centrifugal force but acting only within a rotating object ? known as the Coriolis effect ? which was originally developed for navigational gyrocompasses and space rocket stabilisation systems.
It detects and measures tiny changes in angular vehicle velocity about its vertical axis when negotiating a turn, converting them to an electronic signal that is monitored by two independent microprocessors every seven milliseconds ? equivalent to once every 10 cm of road covered at 50 km/h.
In the early stages of dynamic stabilisation, VDC AdvanceTrac uses the normal TCS system to reduce power via the engine management module and help prevent loss of traction as the car enters a slippery turn. If it then detects a tendency for the front of the car to drift towards the outside of the turn (understeer), and the limit of adhesion is approaching, the system applies a braking impulse to the inside rear wheel, inducing a self-stabilising yaw moment that helps straighten the car to bring it back on line. If it detects a tendency for the tail to swing out instead (oversteer), a braking impulse is applied to the outside front wheel, with the same self-stabilising effect.
In both instances, the system is designed to act well before the destabilising forces take effect, in much the same way that ABS operates before the wheels lock under braking and TCS operates before the driver senses there is any loss of traction.
Unlike these other systems, VDC monitors the vehicle characteristics continuously and can even operate when the car is rolling freely without braking or driving torque. The whole system is fully integrated with ABS and TCS to optimise smooth and seamless dynamic control of the vehicle.
For further information, please contact:
Ford Australia Communications
Phone: 03-9359 8491
