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This paper discusses simplified lumped parameter thermal modeling of power train components. In particular, it discusses the tradeoff between model complexity and the ability to correlate the predicted temperatures and flow rates with measured data. The benefits and problems associated with using a three lumped mass model are explained and the value of this simpler model is promoted. The process for correlation and optimization using modern software tools is explained. Examples of models for engines and transmissions are illustrated along with their predictive abilities over typical driving cycles.

New methods are required for implementing the proliferation and sophistication of electronic controls and features to meet the customer's quality expectations. Vehicle electronic integration provides a potential solution for reconciling the seemingly contradictory objectives of high quality at reasonable cost. No module can be considered independently with this global approach. OEM subsystem and component suppliers' devices will need to play in concert with the overall vehicle's electrical/electronic strategy. Some new, separately packaged electronic features may eventually be assimilated within the framework of other electronic controllers.

This paper proposes the adaptation of a modulation technique called Modified Frequency Modulation (MFM) to vehicle multiplexing. MFM was developed during the latter 1960's for use in magnetic disk drives. Disk drives use MFM encoding to achieve a maximum density of recorded data on a disk. The advantage in vehicle multiplexing is that the technique is synchronous with an average of 0.75 transitions per bit. Another advantage is that it can tolerate a large amount of rise and fall time wave shaping, which can significantly reduce radiated EMI. The paper will compare the EMI characteristics generated by NRZ, PWM, VPWM, Manchester, and MFM encoding. Included are typical encoding requirements such as symbol generation, arbitration capabilities, latency, invalid bit testing as well as encoding techniques effect on the host microcomputer.

This paper presents a method for developing a product design and manufacturing process concept, before project final approval, which integrates several other methodologies and uses cross-functional teams. It is a method for completing a “paper” study which quickly considers many of the downstream steps of product development, which will be conducted in greater detail later. It results in a selection of the best design and process for the overall product application and supports this selection with sound numerical targets for quality, cost, weight, investment and process capability.

For designing new products or developing new specifications, the reliability performance of systems and components experienced by the customer provides invaluable information for the engineer. This information, not only provides for the visibility of reliability requirements, but also an awareness of potential degradation of the systems and components during its life cycle. In this paper, a method is presented for predicting vehicle system and component reliability from vehicle fleet repair data. This method combines sampling stratification, computer data analysis and statistical modeling techniques into a reliability analysis procedure to provide reliability prediction. Specifically, published vehicle fleet data was used to provide the basis for predicting the vehicle system and component reliability at any mileage level.

A broad range of information is being delivered to and used within modern vehicles. Information-based applications are becoming more highly integrated into the automobile. Security services are necessary to provide appropriate protection for this information. Encryption, digital signature, and hash functionalities enable information security services such as confidentiality, authentication, integrity and non-repudiation. However, the consumer of in-vehicle information services will not accept security services that introduce any inconvenience to their activities. This paper will discuss various security service methods and security management systems and propose methods to integrate these services acceptably into vehicle-based applications.

Historically, the long development time required to produce a new automobile has meant that the electronics in that vehicle might lag the state-of-the-art by several years. For traditional vehicle electronics, this was certainly an appropriate delay, ensuring through extensive testing and qualification that the quality and reliability of the electronic systems met rigorous standards. However, with the growing consumer-oriented electronics content in today's vehicles, it is becoming more difficult for the automotive manufacturers to meet consumers' expectations with older technology. Couple this with the fast-paced consumer product cycle, typically nine to eighteen and the result is increasing pressure on the vehicle manufacturers from after-market electronics suppliers, who can update their product lines as fast as the component manufacturers can produce new models.

This paper discusses the feasibility and issues associated with integrating a consumer off-the shelf product into a vehicle. For this evaluation, we selected a handheld personal computer (HPC), cellular telephone and modem to integrate with the vehicle audio, climate and system controls. Connectivity between the HPC and the vehicle is established by the use of the standard infrared serial data link that comes with the HPC. Connectivity outside the vehicle uses a cellular telephone for voice and a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) modem for data. This system is built into the Dodge ESX-2 hybrid powered concept vehicle for demonstration.

The rapid growth of information technology has the potential to affect many of the reasons why people drive. The Internet is arguably the most significant recent milestone in the growth of information technology. This paper examines the ways Internet communication might affect the travel experience by a) eliminating traditional reasons for personal travel, b) providing new reasons, c) changing the balance between personal and freight travel, and d) changing trip length distribution. Changes of the types listed could affect the product demand "mix" for electric, hybrid-electric and fuel cell vehicles being developed.

Formula One motorsport competition, ever seeking increases in powertrain responsiveness and efficiency, has utilized electronically-shifted manual transmissions for nearly a decade. With the advent of this technology for passenger car usage ( for example the Magneti Marelli “Selespeed” system), new levels of powertrain electronic control become possible. At the same time, world-wide emission and fuel economy standards have driven powertrain designers to seek transmissions that are multi-faceted; able to offer manual transmission levels of driveline efficiency while simultaneously offering the ability to be automatically controlled. This paper will document a 1995-1996 Chrysler advanced powertrain concept study that culminated in a fully driveable, fully automatic, manual 5 speed transmission Neon coupe.

A systematic life cycle management (LCM) approach has been used by Chrysler Corporation to compare existing and alternate hydraulic fluids and lubricating oils in thirteen classifications at a manufacturing facility. The presence of restricted or regulated chemicals, recyclability, and recycled content of the various products were also compared. For ten of the thirteen types of product, an alternate product was identified as more beneficial. This LCM study provided Chrysler personnel with a practical purchasing tool to identify the most cost effective hydraulic fluid or lubricant oil product available for a chosen application on an LCM basis.

As automotive electronic systems become more and more spread, the necessity for a complete portfolio of communication standards for automotive applications becomes obvious. In the low cost Class A Smart Sensor & Actuator arena Local Interconnect Network (LIN) is the top candidate to be used as a multiplex standard all over the world. The LIN concept includes not only the physical layer and the data link layer; it also defines the tool interfaces and network description to speed the development process for in vehicle networks. This article describes the development process for LIN applications and gives an example of a typical LIN application, explains the benefits of this solution from the major aspects, the usage of the different tool interfaces, and its representation on the data link layer and the physical layer.

As the Local Interconnect Network (LIN) standard gathers more automotive industry interest, it is gaining strength as a likely standard for SAE Class A networking needs. European auto makers are embracing LIN in ever increasing numbers, even abandoning many other formerly competing Class A solutions, and the manufacturers in the United States are also beginning to take notice of this standard. The driving thrust of LIN is its ability to create low-cost Class A system solutions. In this master-slave based system, the majority of nodes are slave nodes. It is therefore critical to reduce, wherever possible and appropriate, the cost of slave node implementations. Lower cost slave nodes should yield the greatest reduction in system cost due to the number of slave nodes in the system. This paper explores the different ways a LIN slave node can be realized in an automotive LIN network.

This paper addresses feedforward tracking control for electronic throttles. A robust and accurate tracking control scheme based on the training of a Neural Network model and feedback term (PID) is developed. The Neural Network based term can be trained off-line. This feedfoward term serves as a mathematical model capable of describing Electronic Throttle dynamics over a wide range. We have shown that by adding the Neural Network based feedforward control to a common feedback control method, such as the gain-scheduled PID used in many ETC production controllers, that the tracking control performance criteria such as transient errors, steady state errors, response time and overshoot, are greatly improved. Experiments conducted on a production Electronic Throttle Body with a Motorola H-brigde driver IC have shown good results utilizing this approach.

In this paper, we discuss the mathematical modeling of suspension and rollover characteristics. With dynamics analysis, a simple active suspension control is designed with rollover prevention. Also studied is the framework of how to integrate active suspension and steering in the emergency situations besides regular ride and handling suspension control. Simulation results are presented.

This paper describes and characterizes energy-absorbing polyurethane foam as exemplified foam made with Bayfill EA systems. This paper emphasizes its use for automotive passive restraint systems. Static and dynamic properties will be presented. In addition the effect of velocity, weight, density, and vehicle environment on energy absorption will be discussed. RECENT federal requirements for the safety of occupants in automobiles has prompted the industry to investigate light weight and low cost materials for energy management. The use of passive restraints in interiors, i.e. air-bags, has necessitated the development of energy-absorbing instrument panels (IP) for passenger cars and multi-purpose vehicles. When air-bags are deployed in a collision the passenger tends to slide under the bag impacting the knee into the instrument panel. Foam as an energy absorbing material has played an important role in the development of knee bolsters for these interiors.

A method is proposed to qualify automotive component designs in the laboratory using multiaxial real time load/strain input data acquired in the field. Fatigue damage analysis methods are used to edit the field data to produce an accelerated test cycle that retains all of the damaging real time load histories present in the original test cycle. Use of this procedure can contribute to a significant reduction in product design/development time.

The utilization of electro-mechanical relays in traditional automotive applications such as power door lock systems and vehicle lighting has been easily justified on the basis of performance, cost and reliability. However, with the advance of new vehicle systems, we find that new standards for the basic power switch must be established. When the control of anti-lock brake or suspension systems is to be considered, standards for performance and reliability must rise. This paper will examine a high current Solid State Relay (SSR) which has been developed for application within critical automotive systems. The design approach, technology utilized, and operating characteristics, as well as application justification will be discussed.

Tapered roller bearings have proven successful in a number of high-volume automatic transaxle designs. Typically, tapered roller bearings are required to carry high loads generated by helical and hypoid gears. To meet the demands of a successful design, a number of factors must be considered in the selection and application of tapered roller bearings. This paper presents a discussion of these factors as well as results from Chrysler's transaxle testing. Selection of tapered roller bearings is based on the transmission duty cycle developed using load and speed histograms, gear data, size constraints, and life requirements. A bearing life analysis considering the total transaxle system is conducted using a sophisticated computer program. Various system effects are analyzed including the load/speed cycle, housing and shaft rigidity, lubrication, bearing setting, thermal effects, and bearing internal design.

The reliability of an electronic sensor in the automotive applications is assessed using data from Fleet Test and proving ground Vehicle Endurance test. These nonfailure data are multiply censored at different mileage. Reliability analysis of data with no failure is rarely discussed in most reliability literature. This paper applies the Weibull maximum likelihood analysis based on known values of the Weibull shape parameter to extract useful reliability information. The well-known Weibayes and Weibest methods are subsets of the discussed approach. The sensitivity of the change of reliability levels over a range of Weibull shape parameter values is also examined in our case. The Huang-Porter (1991) approach of obtaining a reliability lower bound regardless of the Weibull shape parameter values is also applied and its potential of practical application is discussed. Practical limitations of all methods are discussed.