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The energy crisis and rising gas price in the 2000s led to a growing popularity of hybrid vehicles. Hyundai-Kia Motors has been challenging to develop the new efficient eco-technology since introducing the mild type compact hybrid electric vehicle for domestic fleet in 2004 to meet the needs of the increasing automotive-related environmental issues. Now Hyundai has recently debuted a full HEV for global market, Sonata Hybrid. This system is cost effective solution and developed with the main purpose of improving fuel consumption and providing fun to drive. Presenter Seok Joon Kim, Hyundai Motor Company

Permanent magnet AC generators are robust, inexpensive, and efficient compared to wound-field synchronous generators with brushless exciters. Their application in variable-speed applications is made difficult by the variation of the stator voltage with shaft speed. This paper presents the use of stator-side reactive power injection as a means of regulating the stator voltage. Design-oriented analysis of machine performance for this mode of operation identifies an appropriate level of machine saliency that enables excellent terminal voltage regulation over a specified speed and load range, while minimizing stator current requirements. This paper demonstrates that the incorporation of saliency into the permanent magnet generator can significantly reduce the size of the reactive current source that is required to regulate the stator voltage during operation over a wide range of speeds and loads.

After the turn of the century, growing social attention has been paid to environmental concerns, especially the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and it comes down to a personal daily life concern which will affect the purchasing decision of vehicles in the future. Among all the sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the transportation industry is the primary target of reduction and almost every automotive company pours unprecedented amounts of money to reengineer the vehicle technologies for better fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emission. Besides those efforts paid for sheer improvements of genuine vehicle technologies, NISSAN testified that “connectivity” with outside servers contributed a lot to reduce fuel consumption, thus the less emission of GHG, with two major factors; 1. detouring the traffic congestions with the support of probe-based real-time traffic information and 2. providing Eco-driving advices for the better driving behavior to prompt the better usage of energy.

This paper describes the methods adopted to improve the image quality of the all-around view system. This system uses multiple vehicle-mounted cameras to capture images of the circumstances around the vehicle. The images undergo viewpoint transformation and are synthesized to create a single image seen from a virtual perspective overhead. The specific methods discussed here concern optimization of the design parameters for the camera orientation and a camera calibration method that does not involve physical movement of the cameras.

This paper investigates flow and combustion in a full-cycle simulation of a four-stroke, three-valve HCCI engine by visualizing the flow with pathlines. Pathlines trace massless particles in a transient flow field. In addition to visualization, pathlines are used here to trace the history, or evolution, of flow fields and species. In this study evolution is followed from the intake port through combustion. Pathline analysis follows packets of intake charge in time and space from induction through combustion. The local scalar fields traversed by the individual packets in terms of velocity magnitude, turbulence, species concentration and temperatures are extracted from the simulation results. The results show how the intake event establishes local chemical and thermal environments in-cylinder and how the species respond (chemically react) to the local field.

The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the mechanism of knocking with respect to flame propagation behavior based on 3D simulations conducted with the Universal Coherent Flamelet Model. Flame propagation behavior under the influence of in-cylinder flow was analyzed on the basis of the calculated results and experimental visualizations. Tumble and swirl flows were produced in the cylinder by inserting various baffle plates in the middle of the intake port. A comparison of the measured and calculated flame propagation behavior showed good agreement for various in-cylinder flow conditions. The results indicate that in-cylinder flow conditions vary the flame propagation shape from the initial combustion period and strongly influence the occurrence of knocking.

In December 2006, Nissan announced its Nissan Green Program 2010 (NGP 2010), a mid-term environmental action plan that includes initiatives to reduce vehicle emissions. In line with this plan, the company intends to introduce a new and original hybrid system in fiscal year 2010. Specifically, this system-called the “Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid”-is a one-motor, two-clutch parallel hybrid system that eliminates the need for a torque converter. It will be featured in the 2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid and provides the following advantages. 1 Significant improvement in fuel economy even in Highway driving 2 Better response and a more direct feeling 3 Lightweight and low cost This one-motor, two-clutch system without torque converter possesses a simple but highly capable architecture that is new to the passenger vehicle segment.

Traction control systems (TCSs) serve to control brake pressure and engine torque, thereby reducing driving wheel spin for improved stability and handling. Systems are divided into two basic types by the brake control configuration. One type is a one-channel left-right common control system and the other is a two-channel individual control system. This paper presents an analysis of these two types of TCS configurations in terms of handling, acceleration, stability, yaw convergence and other performance parameters. The systems are compared with and without a limited-slip differential (LSD) under various road conditions, based on experimental data and computer simulations. As a result of this work, certain Nissan models are now equipped with a new Nissan Traction Control System with a rear viscous LSD (Nissan V-TCS), which provides both the advantages of a rear viscous LSD in a small slip region and a two-channel TCS in a large slip region.

The use of CAE software in developing plastic components has advanced rapidly in recent years. This progress has been supported by the development of practical analytical tools, based on the finite element and boundary element methods, and on the dramatic improvements seen in computer performance. Following the introduction of a flow analysis program in 1982, Nissan has developed and implemented advanced programs for use in developing plastic components and has integrated the programs into a unified in-house system. This system is being utilized at the design and manufacturing stages of interior and exterior trim parts and has produced concrete results in different phases of component development. Work is now proceeding on the development of a system that can simultaneously analyze both the component performance and the factors that need to be considered in the manufacturing process.

Humidity control within confined spaces is of great importance for existing NASA environmental control systems and Exploration applications. The Engineered Multifunction Surfaces (MFS) developed in this STTR Phase II form the foundation for a modular and scalable Distributed Humidity Control System (DHCS) while minimizing power, size and mass requirements. Key innovations of the MFS-based DHCS include passive humidity collection, control, and phase separation without moving parts, durable surface properties without particulate generation and accumulation, and the ability to scale up, or network in a distributed manner, a compact, modular device for Exploration applications including space suits, CEV, Rovers, Small and Transit Habitats and Large Habitats.

Two-Color imaging optics were developed and used to observe soot emission processes in a modern heavy-duty diesel engine. The engine was equipped with a common rail, electronically-controlled, high-pressure fuel injection system that is capable of up to four injection pulses per engine cycle. The engine was instrumented with an endoscope system for optical access for the combustion visualization. Multidimensional combustion and soot modeling results were used for comparisons to enhance the understanding and interpretation of the experimental data. Good agreement between computed and measured cylinder pressures, heat release and soot and NOx emissions was achieved. In addition, good qualitative agreement was found between in-cylinder soot concentration (KL) and temperature fields obtained from the endoscope images and those obtained from the multidimensional modeling.

This paper describes a headway distance control system for platoon driving on an automated highway system (AHS). The system implemented on a test vehicle is described first, followed by a description of a vehicle control method based on the use of throttle and brake actuators. This method makes it possible to obtain the target acceleration and deceleration regardless of the vehicle speed range and the rate of acceleration or deceleration. Experimental and simulation results obtained with this method are presented. A control method is then described that uses inter-vehicle communication and laser radar to maintain a constant headway between vehicles. The results of simulations and driving tests conducted with three vehicles are presented to illustrate that the use of inter-vehicle communication is highly effective in improving headway control performance.

This paper describes the Multi-AV System featured in the 1989 model Nissan Cedric, Gloria, and CIMA. It is composed of a navigation system and an audio-visual system. The former system tracks the location of the vehicle and shows it on a CRT map display. This standalone navigation system has been achieved using a map-matching technique along with a terrestrial magnetic field sensor and wheel speed sensors installed at the wheels. Information on hotels, golf courses, Nissan dealers and other items can be obtained. A CD-ROM is employed as the memory. The audio-visual system consists of a radio, cassette deck, CD player, and TV. The Multi-AV System combines the practicality of a navigation function with the entertainment capabilities of an audio-visual system to satisfy diverse needs.

ASICs (Application-specific ICs) offer one solution to the problems of quality, cost and installability associated with the increasingly larger-capacity Electronic Control Units (ECUs) in automobiles. A method was, therefore, created for designing automotive ASICs. Using the method, three ASICs were developed which, together, incorporate all of the functions of the electronic instrument cluster. The core ASIC contains the speedometer and system functions, and the other two ASICs contain the tachometer and gauge functions, respectively. This set of three ASICs allows an electronic instrument cluster design which is two times more reliable, and one-second the cost that conventional systems (with a micro-processor and discrete components).

This paper presents an improved exhaust emission simulation model that takes into account fuel transportation behavior in order to obtain more precise air-fuel ratio control, which is needed to meet stringent exhaust emission standards. This simulation model is based on experimental formulas for air and fuel behavior in the intake manifold, especially during transient engine operation. Fuel behavior, including the effect of wall flow on the air-fuel ratio, is obtained analytically. Predictions are then made of the exhaust emissions from a car operated under official driving schedules. The new simulation model is a useful tool in the design and development of fuel supply control systems. An outline of the new model is presented first along with a comparison of the calculated and experimental results. The air-fuel ratio control strategy derived with this model is then described.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Snowmobile Team designed and constructed a hybrid-electric snowmobile for the 2005 Society of Automotive Engineers' Clean Snowmobile Challenge. Built on a 2003 cross-country touring chassis, this machine features a 784 cc fuel-injected four-stroke engine in parallel with a 48 V electric golf cart motor. The 12 kg electric motor increases powertrain torque up to 25% during acceleration and recharges the snowmobile's battery pack during steady-state operation. Air pollution from the gasoline engine is reduced to levels far below current best available technology in the snowmobile industry. The four-stroke engine's closed-loop EFI system maintains stoichiometric combustion while dual three-way catalysts reduce NOx, HC and CO emissions by up to 94% from stock. In addition to the use of three way catalysts, the fuel injection strategy has been modified to further reduce engine emissions from the levels measured in the CSC 2004 competition.

A global optimization method has been developed for an engine simulation code and utilized in the search of optimal fuel injection strategies. This method uses a Lagrange interpolation function which interpolates engine output data generated at the vertices and the intermediate points of the input parameters. This interpolation function is then used to find a global minimum over the entire parameter set, which in turn becomes the starting point of a CFD-based optimization. The CFD optimization is based on a steepest descent method with an adaptive cost function, where the line searches are performed with a fast-converging backtracking algorithm. The adaptive cost function is based on the penalty method, where the penalty coefficient is increased after every line search. The parameter space is normalized and, thus, the optimization occurs over the unit cube in higher-dimensional space.

The University of Wisconsin - Madison Hybrid Vehicle Team has designed, fabricated, tested and optimized a four-wheel drive, charge sustaining, split-parallel hybrid-electric crossover vehicle for entry into the 2006 Challenge X competition. This multi-year project is based on a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox platform. Trade-offs in fuel economy, greenhouse gas impact (GHGI), acceleration, component packaging and consumer acceptability were weighed to establish Wisconsin's Vehicle Technical Specifications (VTS). Wisconsin's Equinox, nicknamed the Moovada, utilizes a General Motors (GM) 110 kW 1.9 L CIDI engine coupled to GM's 6-speed F40 transmission. The rear axle is powered by a 65 kW Ballard induction motor/gearbox powered from a 44-module (317 volts nominal) Johnson Controls Inc., nickel-metal hydride hybrid battery pack. It includes a newly developed proprietary battery management algorithm which broadcasts the battery's state of charge onto the CAN network.

The demand for highly flexible manipulation of plant growth generations, modification of specific plant processes, and genetically engineered crop varieties in a controlled environment has led to the development of a Commercial Plant Biotechnology Facility (CPBF). The CPBF is a quad-middeck locker playload to be mounted in the EXPRESS Rack that will be installed in the International Space Station (ISS). The CPBF integrates proven ASTROCULTURE” technologies, state-of-the-art control software, and fault tolerance and recovery technologies together to increase overall system efficiency, reliability, robustness, flexibility, and user friendliness. The CPBF provides a large plant growing volume for the support of commercial plant biotechnology studies and/or applications for long time plant research in a reduced gravity environment.

A four valve controller and electronic control circuits were developed to control the displacement of hydrostatic pump/motors (P/M's) utilized in an automobile with a hydrostatic transmission and hydropneumatic accumulator energy storage. Performance of the control system was evaluated. The controller uses four high-speed, two-way, single-stage poppet valves, functioning in the same manner as a 4-way, 3-position spool valve. Two such systems were used to control the displacement of two P/Ms, each system driving a front wheel of the vehicle. The valves were controlled electronically by a distributed-control dead-band circuit and valve driver boards. Testing showed that the control system's time response satisified driving demand needs, but that the control system's error was slightly larger than desired. This may lead to complications in some of the vehicle's operating modes.