Across all U.S. farms, tractor rollovers are the single-most frequent and deadly accidents that occur. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), there are approximately 130 tractor rollover fatalities per year. Active Rollover Protection (ARP) is a system that has been created to prevent and stop vehicle rollover. An ARP system consists of placing various sensors on a vehicle and developing a safety response mechanism that will stop the rollover. CTI’s dynamic inclinometers are a very powerful cost-effective option to use in an ARP system. The TILT-5x series are equipped with a three-axis accelerometer and gyroscope. These internal sensors will track a vehicle’s inclination while it is moving in all sorts of circumstances.
Rollovers generally occur in two different situations. It can be caused by an inordinate lateral force such as excess speed generated in a turn. A rollover can also occur when a vehicle is knocked by a stationary object. For example, when a tractor is hit from the side and continues to move laterally it has enough momentum combined with gravity to produce a rollover.
The ARP system will detect impending rollovers. The sensors provide data surrounding the vehicle’s displacement. Developers can set different thresholds for the tilt angle, acceleration, and time to activate the safety response mechanism. This system is fully automatic and does not depend on the operator.
When a rollover is about to occur the system will trigger specific safety measures necessary to protect the operator. Tractors and other farming vehicles operate in a variety of environments. Safety measures can be developed to respond to different situations. A common safety measure is Rollover Protection Structures (ROPS). They are roll cages designed for a variety of agricultural vehicles. ROPS will keep operators in a protective zone and retain them from being thrown or crushed by the vehicle. There a few types of ROPS frames available: a two-post frame, four-post frame, and an enclosed cab. Some models will have a hydraulic system that will eject the frames when the ARP system senses a rollover. They can happen in a fraction of a second so it is vital to have the proper system set to protect the operator of the vehicle.
