Drive by wire

[Guest DaveW]

See:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19979380

I think my Ford Focus’s accelerator is just an electronic control pedal sending to the engine control “black box†rather than a mechanical connection, but I am not sure I would want the brakes and steering “drive by wire†also.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/drive-by-wire.htm

http://www.motor-trade-insider.com/index.php/2010/02/toyota-recalls-fly-by-wire-and-too-much-technology/

DaveW

[Guest]

if you have ever flown on an airbus A320, A330 or A340 you have already flown by wire so why not drive by wire?

[Guest DaveW]

Theres a lot more room around aircraft if they swerve before hitting the central reservation Richard! They also usually have multiple back-up systems. I can't see the car manufacturers wanting to go to all that expense as it would then be dearer than conventional methods:-

"Aircraft systems may be quadruplexed (four independent channels) to prevent loss of signals in the case of failure of one or even two channels. High performance aircraft that have FBW controls (also called CCVs or Control-Configured Vehicles) may be deliberately designed to have low or even negative stability in some flight regimes, the rapid-reacting CCV controls compensating for the lack of natural stability.

Pre-flight safety checks of a fly-by-wire system are often performed using Built-In Test Equipment (BITE). On programming the system, either by the pilot or groundcrew, a number of control movement steps are automatically performed. Any failure will be indicated to the crews.

Some aircraft, the Panavia Tornado for example, retain a very basic hydro-mechanical backup system for limited flight control capability on losing electrical power, in the case of the Tornado this allows rudimentary control of the stabilators only for pitch and roll axis movements.^"

^{I can't see car drivers going through pre-flight checks, along with similar ones done by ground staff for aircraft every time the car is taken out? Basically with all systems "If it can go wrong sometime it will go wrong". I am OK with accelerator by wire as if that fails or sticks I can declutch and put it into neutral, but loosing brakes or steering, no thanks!}

^DaveW

[Guest]

I programmed some of the software for the generator control units on the A320 so all the back up systems in the world wont save you if my software packs up lol and I'd rather be in a car with not steering than a plane with no way of staying in the air lol

[FUJI]

I was using .....Drive By Wire......back in the late 1940s as a kid.......

..........Without a length of strong cable I couldn't steer my Soap- Box Car.

FUJI

[Guest DaveW]

We all know who to come and thump or sue if our aircraft crashes then Richard!

DaveW

[Guest]

only if the generators packs up lol