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My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

gill.net.in

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Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#21

Post by cosmicgadget »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #13

The author did a great job actually building the project, doing a layout and custom design rather than just stitching together off the shelf modules. Good work. That being said, in 20 years of riding motorcycles and being an ATGATT (all the gear, all the time) kind of rider, I'm mixed on the need for this. It's something I have thought about doing with a direct hardwire to the throttle, but I can't come up with a sit…

I guess those situations where you are engine braking and a non-tailgating driver doesn't realize he's closing to an unsafe distance. Then one of a couple of things could cause a collision from this preventably-dangerous situation.

Def not a daily event but not unheard of.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#22

Post by diggan »

HPsquared wrote: post #7
bastawhiz wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That requires you to have a bike where the current gear is recognized digitally and the bike has a standard way of getting that data to an external device (or it requires you to put a sensor on the gear lever). For that matter, it requires you to have a bike with a manual transmission. There's lots of electric bikes, bikes with fully automatic transmissions, and bikes that simply don't have the electronics (not to me…

You can infer the gear based on vehicle speed and engine speed. That's how gear indications work on most manual cars too: there's no actual sensor telling what gear is selected (other than reverse, and sometimes clutch pedal and neutral).

> You can infer the gear based on vehicle speed and engine speed.

Wouldn't that be highly variable based on the vehicle itself? Especially considering personal modifications tend to be common for motorbikes.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#24

Post by codybontecou »

"BMW’s dynamic brake light, for example, flashes during emergency braking to alert trailing drivers, greatly enhancing road safety."

This isn't obvious to someone who has no idea. I just assumed it's an aftermarket adjustment for people that like flashy vehicles.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#25

Post by cj »

HPsquared wrote: post #20
_ea1k wrote: post #10

TBH, I'm surprised this isn't already common. It is very similar to what EVs do, due to the relatively high regenerative braking.

You'd only see it on newer bikes with ABS, they seem likely to have more sensors and "electronics" in the brake system. In that kind of system the deceleration could be inferred from existing speed signals. I wouldn't be surprised if ABS systems already estimate the engine braking torque directly.

What is the general consensus on ABS braking in motorcycles? Really curious to hear from anyone who has rode a bike equipped with it.

For some reason the idea of a bike interfering with brake controls seems like it could feel unsafe if the system isn't designed really well. Extremely low margin for error when it comes to braking on a 2 wheel vehicle especially in suboptimal conditions.

I could see ABS braking being fine for the back tire, but the idea of automatic braking on the front tire would scare me.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#26

Post by OJFord »

codybontecou wrote: post #24

"BMW’s dynamic brake light, for example, flashes during emergency braking to alert trailing drivers, greatly enhancing road safety." This isn't obvious to someone who has no idea. I just assumed it's an aftermarket adjustment for people that like flashy vehicles.

I don't think that matters, isn't the point just that it's more eye-catching than a solid (and much smaller than a car's) light?

Any driver should know what a brake light means, I don't think that it's an intentional flash feature is important to know.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#28

Post by HPsquared »

cj wrote: post #25
HPsquared wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd only see it on newer bikes with ABS, they seem likely to have more sensors and "electronics" in the brake system. In that kind of system the deceleration could be inferred from existing speed signals. I wouldn't be surprised if ABS systems already estimate the engine braking torque directly.

What is the general consensus on ABS braking in motorcycles? Really curious to hear from anyone who has rode a bike equipped with it. For some reason the idea of a bike interfering with brake controls seems like it could feel unsafe if the system isn't designed really well. Extremely low margin for error when it comes to braking on a 2 wheel vehicle especially in suboptimal conditions. I could see ABS braking being f…

Front brake is where it's most beneficial as the front wheel is what keeps the bike upright. If you lock the front wheel, especially in a turn, the bike falls over almost instantly.

edit: Rear wheel locking gives a bit more time to react.

Personally the main safety benefit is for emergency braking in wet conditions. ABS also allows to use full brakes in the wet without worrying so much about falling over. That's the real benefit, real-world it shortens your stopping distance because of that increased confidence in using the brake.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#29

Post by HPsquared »

diggan wrote: post #22
HPsquared wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can infer the gear based on vehicle speed and engine speed. That's how gear indications work on most manual cars too: there's no actual sensor telling what gear is selected (other than reverse, and sometimes clutch pedal and neutral).

> You can infer the gear based on vehicle speed and engine speed. Wouldn't that be highly variable based on the vehicle itself? Especially considering personal modifications tend to be common for motorbikes.

Yes that makes it harder to make a general system. It could have a "learning" function to pick this up though.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#30

Post by 1970-01-01 »

mygnu wrote: post #14
HPsquared wrote: post #11

It's very important to consider failure modes when adding something like this. You should ensure there's no way the new addition could prevent the brake light from working if the electronics were to fail (either electrically, software glitch, corrosion, bad connection, etc). Because failing to light the brake lights upon braking could directly cause an accident. Secondary perhaps (though still important) is to preven…

I am considering adding a watchdog logic in the microcontroller that holds a mosfet gate, if there is any signs of failure in logic it would pass through the normal light signal.

Consider adding logic to test if the bulb is open. That would be a killer feature for sales.
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