Control Engineering

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The Workshop
September 9, 2007

The workshop.

Modifying a street legal vehicle for driverless operation requires several work areas that need to be somewhat segregated from each other because of the nature of the work being performed and need to avoid cross contamination.  Each work area needs its own independent ventilation system because of the air change rate and temperature required for the work being done in it.  Much of the physical work and final assembly can be done in the same service bay used for routine maintenance and repair of the vehicle.  Other work areas are needed for work on electronics and software development.  It is best if these areas are adjacent to the service bay to make them and the tools contained in them readily available to aid in final assembly.



While testing is being done the vehicle each of the vehicles required the normal maintainance that goes along with the vehicle and the equipment installed on it.  These are a combination of parts and consumables are required during normal use.  As experimental vehicles, they are subject to unexpected glitches or bugs that will need to be tracked down and corrected.  In testing several of the teams have reported that their vehicles have been totaled or required major rework after accidents.  The shop should be prepared to handle the workload and expense of getting the vehicle back into working shape and use the back up vehicle while the lead vehicle is in the shop.



Arrangements for hauling a disabled demonstration vehicle from the test area back to the shop should be made ahead of time - a wrecker, flatbed truck, or trailer depending on the size and weight of the demonstration vehicle. What tools and equipment should be taken on the road with the vehicle should be considered too.  

Many racing companies have Race Transporters that are a combination living area for the pit crew, workshop area with tools, spare parts, equipment, and an enclosed storage area for hauling the race vehicle and its identical back up vehicle.  These are in the $300,000.00 price range and need to be hauled with a tractor and driven by a truck driver with a CDL.  

  

More compact versions, commonly owned individuals are called toy haulers and are in the $20,000.00 price range.




Canvas awnings that extend from the sides of the race transporter can be useful when the pit crew is living and working in the field with the vehicle.   There are additional concerns to be considered when the test area is in the harsh environments like the desert and when a long distance from the home base.  Supporting the human beings involved can be sometimes the more difficult part of the operation.

Posted by Paul Grayson on September 9, 2007 | Comments (0)