Data recorders

[desertrat]

This is good, but I wonder if there's any way to disable them entirely.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/21/event_data_recorder_rule/index.html

 

[willie]

This is good, but I wonder if there's any way to disable them entirely.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/21/event_data_recorder_rule/index.html

Isn't it illegal to screw with the airbag?

 

[bigtw34]

No I dont think that it is illeagle to screw with airbags, because I know alot of custom cars have them removed. Say if they change the steering wheel, or put a tv in the dashboard.

 

[willie]

No I dont think that it is illeagle to screw with airbags, because I know alot of custom cars have them removed. Say if they change the steering wheel, or put a tv in the dashboard.

Clarification: It is legal for you to screw with the airbag but Illegal for you to have someone else do it without Government approval. Liability insurance is the big factor.

What is going to happen when the airbag is disabled, even legally, and there is an accident with injuries that THEORETICALLY an air bag could have POSSIBLY prevented. You won't go to jail but the lawsuits will sure put you in the poorhouse.

 

[desertrat]

Clarification: It is legal for you to screw with the airbag but Illegal for you to have someone else do it without Government approval. Liability insurance is the big factor.

What is going to happen when the airbag is disabled, even legally, and there is an accident with injuries that THEORETICALLY an air bag could have POSSIBLY prevented. You won't go to jail but the lawsuits will sure put you in the poorhouse.

I wasn't refering to the airbag, just the data recorder. Airbag would still function.

 

[willie]

I wasn't refering to the airbag, just the data recorder. Airbag would still function.

The primary purpose of the data recorder your link is refering to is to operate the airbags.

 

[Lugnut]

The primary purpose of the data recorder your link is refering to is to operate the airbags.

The primary purpose of the data recorder is to record vehicle dynamics to reconstruct accidents. While it records airbag deployment, it has NOTHING to do with actual operation of the airbag.

In most cases their is no "data recorder" per se'. The recorder is a piece of software running on the PCM in conjunction with the engine/powertrain management software. It's a circular buffer with an event marker triggered by an impact sensor and/or activation of the antilock brake system and enough memory to record the entire event and an unspecified portion of time prior to the event.

 

[willie]

The primary purpose of the data recorder is to record vehicle dynamics to reconstruct accidents. While it records airbag deployment, it has NOTHING to do with actual operation of the airbag.

In most cases their is no "data recorder" per se'. The recorder is a piece of software running on the PCM in conjunction with the engine/powertrain management software. It's a circular buffer with an event marker triggered by an impact sensor and/or activation of the antilock brake system and enough memory to record the entire event and an unspecified portion of time prior to the event.

The so called "Black box" contains the data recorder that does have a circular 5 second buffer that is constantly monitoring several sensors but not triggered. The original purpose of this box was to run diagnostics on the air bag system and determine if the air bags should be deployed. It is separate from the PCM. I'm not sure if it was an insurance investigator or a lawyer that first had the data retrieved after an accident but things have gone downhill ever since.

Is it possible you are thinking about the latest systems used with OnStar? GM's advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) system records a huge amount of data along with crash data.

 

[Lugnut]

The so called "Black box" contains the data recorder that does have a circular 5 second buffer that is constantly monitoring several sensors but not triggered. The original purpose of this box was to run diagnostics on the air bag system and determine if the air bags should be deployed. I'm not sure if it was an insurance investigator or a lawyer that first had the data retieved after an accident but things have gone downhill ever since.

Is it possible you are thinking about the latest systems used with OnStar? GM's advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) system records a huge amount of data along with crash data.

I think we may be talking two different systems. The system I'm familiar with monitors all vehicle sensors and maintains a circular buffer for far longer than 5 seconds. It began life as a factory diagnostic tool and later became Mode 7 diagnostics I think. The system I think you're talking about does have a buffer but it's more of a peak detector. I.e. it records the max value for the past 5 seconds in memory.

It's been ten years since I was on top of this stuff though and I miss playing with it!