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Active control mainly comprises of three parts; sensor-detects the input disturbance, actuator -provide counter measures and control logic -processing of input disturbances and converting it into logical output. Lot of methods for active vibration control are available but this paper deals with active control of steering wheel vibrations of an LCV. A steering wheel is, one such component that directly transfers vibration to the driver. Active technique described here is implemented using accelerometer sensor, IMA (Inertial Mass Actuator) and feed forward Fx-LMS (Filtered reference Least Mean Square) control algorithm. IMA is a single-degree-of-freedom oscillator. To enable a control, IMA needs to be coupled to the structure at a single point, acting as an add-on to the passive system. Fx-LMS is a type of adaptive algorithm which is computationally simple and it also includes compensation for secondary path effects by using an estimate of the secondary path.

In order to travel in a chaotic and dynamic environment, an autonomous vehicle requires a motion plan. This motion plan ensures collision free, optimum travel without violating any traffic rules. The optimum solution for path planning problem exists in higher dimensions, however, with the help of useful heuristics the problem can be solved in real time, which is required for real time operation of an autonomous vehicle. There are different well established techniques available to plan a collision free kinematically traversable path. One of such techniques is called conformal Lattice planner. However, the legacy version of conformal lattice planner is not optimized and also is prone to fail under specific dynamic environment conditions. Moreover, the legacy version of conformal lattice planner is also not road aware. Due to this reason it is a semi optimized way to solve the motion planning problem.

Forging is a metal forming process involving shaping of metal by the application of compressive forces using hammer or press. Forging load of equipment is an important function of forging process and the prediction of the same is essential for selection of appropriate equipment. In this study a hot forging material i.e. 42CrMo4 steel is selected which is used in automotive components like axle, crank shaft. Hot forging experiments at 750°C are carried out on cylindrical specimens of aspect ratio 0.75 and 1.5 with true height strain (ln (ho/hf)) of 0.6. Forging load for the experiments is calculated using slab and upper bound deformation models as well as Metal forming simulation using commercially available FEA software. The upper bound models with 30% deviation from the simulation results are found to be more accurate compared to the slab models.

Due to the transformation of the automotive industry from conventional vehicles to electric vehicles, new challenges have emerged concerning Electromagnetic Compatibility. Though the Radiated Emission limits in global regulation are the same for both types of powertrains of vehicles, however, due to the phenomena of conversion of high voltage to low voltage, rapid charging/discharging, and different components involved in electric powertrain, the Radiated Emission from electric vehicles give a strikingly different trend which is challenging to combat. When compared with the conventional Spark Ignition vehicle, many other electronic components of the electric vehicle stay in the mode of Power ON while in the “Ignition ON” steady state. This resulted in us observing a significant shift in the amplitude and frequency throughout the frequency band of Radiated Emission measurement.

The death toll due to traffic accidents in India is on a rise, according to the latest Road Transport ministry report, a total of 4.97 lakh road accident was reported in 2011. Though compared to 2010, the accidents have gone down by 1,945, the number of deaths at 1,42,485 has increased by over 7,000.[1] This paper proposes a design of an Emergency Intimation System (EIS) tailored to fit for Indian consumer needs and available infrastructure. EIS is an emergency alert technology devised to assist drivers and passenger in an event of vehicle crash. Majority of deaths are caused by slow accident response time. EIS is aimed to lower this response time and ensure that the required rescue and medical services are made available in time. This device employed to make this emergency alerts will be fitted into the vehicle Electrical and Electronics (E/E) architecture and will have interfaces with crash sensor network, CAN network and GSM etc.

In year 2015, 17 people were killed every hour by road accidents in India [1]. The occurrence of road accidents is observed to be higher during night, when visibility is at its lowest. The two factors which affect visibility are insufficient illumination and glare caused by the oncoming traffic. The Adaptive Front Lighting System [AFS] is an active safety feature which addresses these problems by employing specific lighting modes for Town, Country, Expressway conditions and automatic switching between Driving Beam and Passing Beam whenever required. Matrix of LEDs or a Projector with an actuator or a combination of both is employed in achieving different Lighting modes. The projector based AFS module is preferred for implementing the AFS control logic for passing beam owing to its economic cost.

This work is a part of program on “Development of High Power Density DI, Diesel Engine to Meet US EPA - Tier III Emission norms for off highway and Genset application purpose. This is a 4 Cylinder, TCIC engine delivering 165 Hp @ 2500 rpm. BMEP at max torque comes to be 18 bar giving max cylinder firing pressure of 160 bar. Engine block is a most vital component which has to serve various functions all together. Also design of block for such a high BMEP levels, demands to give a different design strategy required for development of High Performance Engines. In order to reduce overall production cost, several constraints are imposed on design of new block. Design of block is carried out within several design, assembly and manufacturing constraints such as maintain a specific cylinder centre distance, integral oil cooler in the engine block, re-location of camshaft and FIE positions, incorporation of various accessories viz. steering pump, Air Compressor etc.

A methodology for design and development of radiator cooling fan is developed with an objective to improve underhood thermal management. For this purpose an Axial Fan Design Software has been developed which is based on Arbitrary Vortex Flow theory. The software is useful for obtaining initial blade design for the given basic functional requirements in terms of Airflow, Pressure Rise and Speed which defines the operating point of the fan. CFD analysis of the initial fan design is then carried out to predict the fan performance curve. Computation model resembles a fan set up in a wind tunnel. Further, Parametric Optimization is carried out using CFD to meet the functional requirements. A Rapid Prototype sample of the optimized fan design is manufactured and tested in a fan test rig made as per AMCA 210-99 standard to evaluate the fan performance curve and the power consumption.

One of the primary reasons for road accidents is driving while distracted or drowsy. Often, long and monotonous road journeys lead to distracted or drowsy driving. Therefore, there is a need for a system which alerts a distracted or drowsy driver. Moreover, as the levels of autonomy move beyond SAE Level 2, the system assumes a larger share of the dynamic driving task. Under challenging circumstances, the system might ask the driver to take back vehicle control. To guarantee safety, it’s crucial to monitor the driver’s condition in order to assess their readiness to regain control of the vehicle. An advanced safety feature known as a driver monitoring system (DMS), sometimes referred to as a driver state sensing (DSS) system, is designed to monitor a driver’s attentiveness and alertness, providing warnings or alerts to refocus their attention on driving when drowsiness or distraction is detected.

The use of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) will become imperative to meet the emission challenges. HEV have two power sources-fossil fuels driven I.C. Engine and the battery based drive. Battery technologies have seen a tremendous development, and therefore HEV’s have been benefited. Even as the battery capacities have improved, maintaining and monitoring their health has been a challenge. This research paper uses open-source platform to build a BMS. The flexibility in the implementation of the system has helped in the rapid prototyping of the system. The BMS system was evaluated on a scaled-down electric toy car for its performance and sustainability. The BMS was evaluated for reverse polarity, protection against overcharge, short-circuit, deep discharge and overload on lead acid battery. It also includes temperature monitoring of the batteries. This proposed system is evaluated on the in-house HEV two-wheeler. The initial results are promising.

The Steering system is one of the most safety critical systems in an automobile. With time the durability, reliability and the fine-tuning of the parameters involved in this subsystem have increased along with the competitiveness of the market. In a competitive market, accelerated testing is the key to shorter development cycles. It is observed that the majority of component manufacturers have a preference on vehicle level testing to achieve their development goals. The vehicle level trials are time consuming and lack the control and repeat-ability of a laboratory environment. This paper describes the development of a steering test rig designed to simulate the disturbances experienced on road within a controlled laboratory environment. The five axis steering rig would allow simulation of individual road wheel displacement along with steering wheel angle input and lateral steering rack displacements. The rig also is designed to be adaptable to a range of vehicle categories.

Tire failure is identified as a major cause of accidents on highways around the world in the recent past. A tire burst leads to loss of control of the vehicle which ends up in a catastrophe. There are various factors which are accounted for a tire burst. Heat buildup, aging of tire and cracks on tires are the major ones which are identified. A superior ability of the tire to dissipate the heat generated during operation is a major factor which prevents a tire failure. Other factors such as ambient temperature, inflation pressure etc. contributes to heat buildup which may ultimately result in tire failure. A combination of these factors might manifest as a tire failure at high speeds, the latter being an immediate cause of heat buildup. A dormant crack in the tire might develop if the temperature and pressure conditions are favorable, thus giving away at the weakest point. With regard to the temperature conditions, road conditions, inflation pressure checks etc.

The Indian government has been promoting electric vehicles through various policy initiatives, such as offering incentives and subsidies to EV manufacturers and consumers, establishing charging infrastructure across the country, and setting ambitious targets for EV adoption. These measures aim to reduce the dependence on imported fossil fuels, mitigate air pollution, and promote sustainable mobility. As a result, the demand for electric vehicles across India is steadily increasing, and the country is emerging as a lucrative market for EVs globally. An electronically commuted brushless DC (BLDC) motor usually functions for traction in electric two-wheelers. Electric vehicles need to comply with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements. During the EMC compliance of electric two-wheelers, it is certain that the BLDC motor and its controller play an important role.

The Electric Vehicles (EV) or Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) has a bunch of electrical/electronic components and its operation give rise to complicated EMI/EMC issues. The Power Electronics Module (PEM), comprising of DC-DC convertor/invertor and Battery Management Unit (BMU), is driving the motor to propel the vehicle. “Battery Pack Module” powers these units through cables. The fast switching of these circuit elements present in the system leads to noise propagation through the cables. These noise signals give rise to various Electromagnetic (EM) related issues in the cable harness of vehicle. It is essential that these cables should not interfere with other electronic components and also does not get effected by external EM disturbances.

With introduction of Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) norms from 1st April 2020, automotive industry will observe one of most stringent Indian emission regulation implementation in line with International standards. The Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) regulation also mandates for Real Driving Emission (RDE) measurement from 1st April 2020 for data collection and subsequently establishment of RDE compliance Factor (CF) by 1st April 2023. Indian RDE test procedure will be largely based on European RDE with minor changes in terms of climatic conditions, traffic pattern, speed limit, topography, and vehicle population. For performing a successful RDE trial one of the most critical part is selection of a route on which all RDE boundary conditions can be met. This technical paper summarizes the outcome of RDE experiments carried out on Light Duty Vehicles (LDV) in the city of Pune, Mumbai, and Bangalore. The collected data was post processed using CO2 based Moving Average Window (MAW) method.

To enhance the crashworthiness of electric vehicles, designing the optimized and safer battery pack is very essential. The deformed battery cell can result in catastrophic events like thermal runaway and thus it becomes crucial to study the mechanical response of battery cell. The goal of the research is to experimentally investigate the effect of mechanical deformation on Lithium-ion battery cell. The paper thoroughly studies the phenomenon of short circuiting at the time of failure. Various experiments are carried on 18650 cylindrical cells (NCA chemistry) under custom designed fume hood. The setup captures the failure modes of battery cell. The loading conditions have been designed considering the very possible physical conditions during crash event. The study has been done for radial compression, semicircular indentation, hemispherical indentation, flat circular indentation and case of three-point bending.

Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems play a critical role in ensuring vehicle safety by detecting potential rear-end collisions and automatically applying brakes to mitigate or prevent accidents. This paper focuses on establishing a framework for the Verification & Validation (V&V) of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) by testing & verifying the functionality of a RADAR-based AEB ECU. A comprehensive V&V approach was adopted, incorporating both virtual and physical testing. For virtual testing, closed-loop Hardware-in-Loop (HIL) simulation technique was employed. The AEB ECU was interfaced with the real-time hardware via CAN. Data for the relevant target such as the target position, velocity etc. was calculated using an ideal RADAR sensor model running on the real-time hardware. The methodology involved conducting a series of test scenarios, including various driving speeds, obstacle types, and braking distances.

Passive safety regulations specify minimum safety performance requirements of vehicle in terms of protecting its occupants and other road users in accident scenarios. Currently for majority cases, the compliance of vehicle design to passive safety regulations is assessed through physical testing. With increased number of products and more comprehensive passive safety requirements, the complexity of certification is getting challenged due to high cost involved in prototype parts and the market pressures for early product introduction through reduced product development timelines. One of the ways for addressing this challenge is to promote CAE based certification of vehicle designs for regulatory compliance. Since accuracy of CAE predictions have improved over a period of time, such an approach is accepted for few regulations like ECE-R 66/01, AIS069 etc which involves only loadings of the structures.

Design of vehicle for targeted customer usage is one of the key steps during vehicle development process. Due to globalization, most of vehicles, aggregates, components are being designed for global market considering worldwide load spectrum. Generally for doing this the vehicle response is being measured for different markets but this process is very time consuming. Also for getting these vehicle dependent parameters, exercises need to be repeated on each type/class of vehicle. So there is a need to have a robust procedure, tools which will helps OEM’s to predict the loads, vehicle response for different market segments at an early stage of vehicle development program using the inputs which are vehicle independent. The solution for this could be to use vehicle independent input such as digitized road profiles (2D or 3D) of target customer markets in combination with proper MBD simulation tools.

The term Industry 4.0 is well known in contemporary automotive landscape. It encompasses a smart integrated framework of IIoT (Internet of Things) and industrial automation with machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data analytics to arrive at optimal solutions to running the processes in a streamlined, efficient and effective manner. Industry 4.0 has assumed critical significance in the contemporary era of people working from remote locations to operate processes in order to build products, thereby ensuring business continuity. Consequently, it follows that if industry 4.0 is applied to automotive homologation activity, it will lead to a standardized evaluation, consistent fidelity of testing, accurate judgement of the product under test with regards to its certification, and most importantly, timed delivery to release in the market. The author hereby elucidates a unified Industry 4.0 Framework for Automotive homologation in India which is the need of the hour.