The black box or black box is an electronic device designed for the automotive world, in order to allow insurance companies to determine, with greater accuracy, the risk assumed for each individual insured, thanks to the acquisition of statistical data.Some products also make it possible to detect the so-called driving style, which makes it possible to assess, in real time, whether the driver is virtuous.In this article written by Eng.Angelo Capolupo, expert in technical consultancy in the forensic field in the reconstruction of complex accidents, as well as author of the book “The Black Box - Principles and applications of the black box in the automotive sector”, let's see in detail everything you need to know about the functioning of black boxes.The results of the black box devices also serve insurance companies to facilitate and speed up the management and settlement of claims and aid in the anti-fraud field.In particular, thanks to the GPS device it is possible to identify the place of the accident, the trajectory of the vehicle (wake) and its speed.Furthermore, through the accelerometers and the gyroscope, the black box is one of the few tools that allows, in the reconstruction of a road accident, to evaluate any emergency maneuvers (braking, acceleration and steering) implemented by the motorist in the previous and subsequent phases. to the impact.Again thanks to the accelerometers and the gyroscope, the results of the black box device make it possible to evaluate one or more impacts applied to the vehicle, the direction and extent of the contact force and the area of ​​the vehicle subjected to collision.The black box device is a small-sized product, consisting of a composite material casing, inside which there is:- a GSM / GPRS module for communication and data exchange;- a GPS antenna;- an accelerometer, typically triaxial.New generation black box devices are often also equipped with a gyroscope.In particular, following an accident, when the extent of the solicitation exceeds the activation threshold of the black box (non-unique data that varies according to the contractual choices between companies and providers), the device records the event for a certain duration. time (this is also a non-univocal data) which allows to evaluate all or part of the phase prior to the collision, the impact phase (s) and part or all of the post-impact phase.It is essential to know that the GPS data recorded by the device are not downloaded to the operations center in real time but after the internal memory has reached a predefined threshold.On the contrary, in the event of a crash, the latter information is sent in real time, since if the event has a relatively long time duration, such as to be characterized by multiple collisions, the black box will be able to record and send multiple consecutive crash events. which will make it possible to detect the entire incident or a large part of it.From 6 July 2022 the black box is mandatory on newly approved vehicles, but in today's insurance market there are numerous types of black box devices, which, depending on the installation method, are divided into two macro categories: "self install" and " professional install ".- self-install black boxes are devices that are installed, usually to the vehicle battery, independently by the insured- with regard to professional install products, on the other hand, the insured is invited to contact an installer affiliated with the provider who will physically dispose of the device and will proceed with the installation of the same, through appropriate administrative procedures via the web with the operations center and the relative calibration.At the same time, there may be differences between the data provided by the black box devices depending on the different installation modes.For example, products with battery installation do not have the cable that detects the ignition and / or shutdown of the vehicle instrument panel, i.e. the voltage variation that is generated when the panel is switched on (it is not related to the ignition of the engine ).Therefore, in battery-powered products, the ignition and / or switch-off of the panel is typically assumed, as it is detected by the system as a function of the variation of some parameters such as voltage, vehicle movement and vibrations, for a certain predetermined time interval.Furthermore, battery powered products, if not self-calibrating, may be subject to an error in the installation, with the inversion of the device with respect to the correct positioning.A circumstance that affects the recording of the data detected by the device (for example, a braking could be read as an acceleration or as a steering).In any case, these cases can be easily identified by expert technicians in the sector.Furthermore, the providers prepare internal procedures to verify any anomalies, intervening if necessary.The same products on the battery can cause the device not to be integral with the vehicle, vibrating while the vehicle is running.This type of problem typically occurs when the device is installed, for example, on the vehicle battery cover, rather than directly in contact with the aforementioned battery.The vibrations, therefore, will add up to the stresses to which the vehicle is subjected during travel and, in some cases (typically in the event of large vibrations), they can generate false crashes or influence the magnitude of the stresses detected by the accelerometers.In order to read the data provided by a black box device, it is essential to know the technical characteristics of the device and the conventions applied in the document that reports the results of the black box.In order to facilitate the reading of these data, ANIA has defined what information must be present in the report so that this document can become evidence in the CARD arbitration for certain cases of claims.This circumstance has led to the fact that the same documents are often used by the companies also outside the arbitrations, therefore in the daily management of claims.Therefore, today, typically in the reports of insurance companies there is a lot of fundamental information for the correct reading of data such as:- the type of installation;- the tools inside;- the minimum activation threshold of the black box;- the full scale value of the accelerometers;- the type of accelerometric curves (whether inertial or actual).The addition of all this information has, therefore, facilitated the reading of the data, which is independent of the type of product but varies according to the conventions applied in the reports by the company / provider.Furthermore, regardless of the reading of the data, an important aspect is the relative interpretation according to the type of claim.In fact, even if the identification, for example, of a braking maneuver is always the same regardless of the product or company / provider (the type of reading changes instead), the curve that depicts this stress in a claim could represent a braking while in another it could represent a braking with a simultaneous impact.In fact, a minor impact may not exceed the minimum activation threshold of the black box, not being detected by the system.At the same time, it could happen that a device subject to vibrations exceeds the activation threshold during braking, recording a crash.Therefore, nothing prevents one of the aforementioned vibrations within the braking maneuver from identifying even a minor collision with the antagonist vehicle;this collision that in optimal conditions should not have been detected.It is therefore evident that although the information in the reports facilitates the reading of the data, in order to proceed with a correct interpretation of the same it is essential that the technician is highly trained, as the risk is that evaluations that are absolutely discordant with respect to the actual results are carried out. of the black box device.In order to simplify the reading of the telematic data and make it easy to read, the companies have defined documents, so-called reports, while others have created, in addition, internal platforms that make the analysis of the results of the box device extremely dynamic and simple. black, by crossing the data recorded by the black box with the dynamics reported or with the appraisal of the trustee in charge of inspecting the vehicle.At the same time, it could happen to analyze a claim between two cars with similar technical characteristics and both equipped with a black box device and detect obvious differences between the respective reports.In fact, it could happen that:- vehicle A is equipped with a device with a low activation threshold and device B with a significantly higher threshold;this circumstance which involves respectively for one means (A) the detection of the crash and for the other (B) the absence of the recording of the event;- a similar situation could occur if vehicle A collides with vehicle B when parked.If the conventions applied to the device of vehicle B do not provide for the recording of the crash with the ignition off, consequently the device would not detect the event regardless of its entity.Each company, in fact, decides on agreements based on a specific cost / benefit compromise, which could also be different for different products of the same company.It therefore appears evident that it is essential to know the characteristics of the instrument and the relative conventions;information, nowadays, almost always present in the reports.At the same time, in the absence of such information, it is essential that the Technician contact the provider for further clarification, otherwise the relative reading and interpretation of the data could be highly discordant with the actual results of the black box device.Below is a case extracted from the text: The Black Box - Principles and applications of the black box in the automotive field.Two Fiat Punto vehicles are hit at the rear.The Fiat Punto A vehicle is fitted with a self-installing black box device which records a crash event with a resulting acceleration of 4.52 g.Click the images below to see them in full width.The Fiat Punto B vehicle is fitted with a black box device with professional installation, which records a crash event with a resulting acceleration of 1.91 g, therefore just under half the other crash event.From the analysis of the accelerometric (inertial) curves of the self-installing device of vehicle A, it can be seen that the curves are characterized by considerable vibrations, the crash of which is detected with a sudden downward trend of the curve indicating the longitudinal axis (Ax) of the vehicle, consistently with an impact applied at the rear, while the curve relating to the transverse axis (Ay) shows intense vibrations that do not allow to identify the direction of the impact.On the contrary, from the analysis of the accelerometric (inertial) curves of the device with professional installation of vehicle B, it is clear that there are no obvious vibrations.Subsequently, there is a sudden downward trend of the curve indicating the longitudinal axis (Ax) of the vehicle and an upward, less intense curve of the curve relative to the transverse axis (Ay);coherently with a bump applied in correspondence of the left posterior part, having a postero-anterior direction.The self-installing device is therefore subject to greater vibrations, probably resulting from a non-optimal installation.The same influence the extent of the collision, not allowing to better understand the components of the force identifying the collision and the post-impact phase.Car incentives 2022: the forms to be delivered to the dealershipCar incentives 2022: the deadline for registration rises to 9 monthsCopyright © SicurAUTO.it |v6.0 |2000 - 2022 Claster Net - PL6762503116 Managing Director: Claudio CangialosiThe SicurAUTO.it site owned by Claster NET, VAT number PL6762503116, is 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