The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) was approved for Phase II funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation to test technologies that help passenger car and commercial truck drivers avoid crashes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are conducting the initiative, funded as part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration’s (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems Technology program.
UMTRI, along with partners Visteon Corp., Eaton Corp., Honda R & D Americas Inc., Cognex Corp., International Truck and Engine Corp., Con-way Freight, Battelle and the Michigan Department of Transportation, is developing and testing a prototype integrated crash-warning system, the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System.
IVBSS will warn drivers when they are about to leave the roadway, are in danger of colliding with another vehicle while attempting a lane change, or are at risk of colliding with the vehicle ahead. It will use information gathered by inertial, video and radar sensors, plus a global positioning system, to warn drivers of potentially dangerous situations to prevent or lessen the impact of crashes.
IVBSS is a $32.3 million program with $25.2 million in federal funding and $7.1 million in cost share from the partners. The program is divided into two phases. Recently completed Phase I involved IVBSS design and development. Passenger-car and heavy-truck prototypes were completed and tested, verification testing was performed, and the driver-vehicle interface designs completed.
The newly approved Phase II will include a field operational test of the integrated systems in both passenger cars and commercial heavy trucks. A fleet of 16 IVBSS-equipped passenger cars will be tested with more than 100 participants over a one-year period. A fleet of 10 IVBSS-equipped heavy trucks will operate as part of the Con-way Freight fleet over a 10-month period. The RITA Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, acting as the independent evaluator, will objectively evaluate IVBSS system benefits and driver acceptance.
May 2nd, 2008
The Pickering Interfaces 40-193 and 40-194 are modules that simulate both high and low current faults when testing control systems. This is especially useful in a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HILS) test applications. Each module supports 7 channels which faults can have injected - each channel can be opened (to simulate and open circuit) or shorted to one of two fault connections (such as ground or battery supply). Channels can also be shorted together to simulate other types of wiring faults.
Both modules have a current rating of 20A at 16 VDC. The 40-194 version has additional circuitry making it capable of switching both high current and low current loads, overcoming the problem of high current relays, which require a minimum current too wet the contacts after prolonged hot switching events.
Each module has been designed to ensure robust operation over many test cycles, and each allows faults to be hot switched into the system while tests are running, perfect for finding controller system response to intermittent fault occurrences. Both modules include software support for LabView RT and QNX Real Time Operating Systems.
April 26th, 2008
The Series 3713 triaxial DC response accelerometers from PCB Piezotronics (PCB®) are designed for a variety of NVH and vehicle durability measurements in automotive and off-highway applications. For example, these accelerometers can be used for brake deceleration compliance certification; vehicle radiator and air cooler durability testing; roll stiffness/static rollover threshold tests; NVH testing; and other applications.
The accelerometers are gas damped and provide micro g resolution and ±5,000 g pk (49,033 m/s2 pk) shock survivability. Several full-scale acceleration ranges are available from 3 to 200 g, with frequency response from DC to 1,500 Hz (±10%). The sensor, a 1-inch (28mm) cube in a welded titanium case design, incorporates built-in conditioning electronics which provide amplification to the sensing elements and temperature compensated output, with choice of hermetic connector or integral cable.
For more information, call toll-free (in the US) at 888-684-0014 or e-mail automotivesales@pcb.com.
April 25th, 2008
SAE International is looking for experts in a couple of areas:
- FlexRay. J2813—”FlexRay for Vehicle Applicatons” Task Force is looking for experts to help draft a document that will define the physical layer and portions of the data link layer. It will also address how these are to be tested. Contact Debbie Brooks, brook@sae.org.
- Restraint systems. Experts are needed to review a number of standards including J128—”Occupant Restraint System Evaluation,” J339—”Seat Belt Hardware Webbing Abrasion Test Procedure,” and J140—”Seat Belt Hardware Test Procedure.” Contact Nikki Ameredes, 248-273-2462 or nameredes@sae.org.
- Flex fuel. The Truck and Bus Alternative Fuels Subcommittee is looking for experts in the design of flex-fuel vehicles to serve on a task group developing the new Recommend Practice J2835. Contact Jana Wright, 248-273-2456 or jwright@sae.org.
April 24th, 2008
Standards Testing Laboratories (STL) will be offering its 2008 Tire Technology seminars at the company’s Massillon, Ohio-headquarters on June 3-5 and October 14-16. The seminars provide an overview of tire industry terminology, technology and the raw materials involved in the making of a tire, as well as the design, applications, compounding, construction and manufacturing processes. Rubber/polymer chemistry, physics, and testing standards and procedures are also covered during each two-and-a-half day educational program.
A technical team of automotive and tire experts will provide a basic yet comprehensive overview of the technology involved in the tire business. The seminars are designed to appeal to anyone directly or indirectly involved in the industry that needs a general understanding of tire design, construction and performance.
Registration is $900 and includes admission to the seminars, all materials, three luncheons, an evening banquet and refreshments throughout the course. STL can assist with hotel accommodations. Deadline to register for the June class is May 16, and the deadline for the October class is September 26.
A downloadable registration form is available on the company’s Web site at www.stllabs.com, or interested parties can call 800-833-8547 to request a form.
April 22nd, 2008
Tire Review Online reports that Bridgestone China has opened a new tire testing facility in Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. The article notes that the facility includes a 900-metre straight section for high-speed performance tests and curved sections for performance and handling tests.
April 22nd, 2008
There is an interesting item in the Spring 2008 Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI) newsletter. The item, “Autotechnogeoglyphics,” compares aerial photographs of auto test tracks to the mysterious lines on the Plains of Nazca. The article notes, “Like the lines on the Plains of Nazca, automotive test tracks are alluring earthen etchings on a huge scale, partly representative, partly enigmatic, pointing towards the future, and the past.”
NOTE: The item is the last one on the page, so you’ll have to page down to see it.
April 20th, 2008
The AutoEMC.net newsletter is a text only e-mail newsletter with hyperlinks to stories or items of interest noted in brief within the following text. If you have any items for inclusion or ideas on how to improve this service please send them by return e-mail. Please keep the information coming to the usual address; news@autoemc.net.
Automotive and EMC Conferences
Tech Tour: EMC and Automotive Testing
On 24 April at the Regency Inn & Conference Centre, Westford, MA, USA.
SE Michigan EMC Society: EMC Fest ‘2008
Practical EMC Measurements on 8 May 2008 at 46000 Summit Parkway , Canton , Michigan 48188 featuring industry renowned speaker Douglas C. Smith.
ASIA-Pacific EMC Week and Technical Exhibition
Being held in Singapore between 19th and 23rd May 2008.
Standards
Complying with the EMC Directive
Although a new release of any directive is followed by a spate of articles on it, the latest EU EMC directive seemed to enter the world relatively unheralded (or maybe we were just sleeping that day). This article by Keith Armstrong in Conformity magazine is a good catch-up with any changes.
ISO 10605: Still No Change
Despite being due for issuing last November, this Automotive ESD standard has still not been updated. Wondering what might be coming? We have managed to put on-line the paper that was presented at last years AutoEMC 2007 conference on the topic to give a heads-up as to what you might expect. The paper is somewhat critical of some proposed changes, but the author did not at the time of writing the paper expect the standard FDIS to be modified, however, maybe they have taken on-board some of the criticisms and it will be a better standard for it?
Current ISO version in FDIS but not yet available to buy
EMC Test
Lufthansa Build Own EMC Test Facility
This article from Interference Technology got us thinking, “What makes a company build their own EMC test facility?”. As you can probably imagine, an Aerospace EMC test laboratory is not a low cost option for an airline company. You might expect this from Boeing or Airbus but Lufthansa? Surely there is plenty of EMC test service providers in Europe, and especially in Germany, so why are Lufthansa investing €10M and building their own facility? We speculate on why a company might decide to build or buy EMC services.
Old issues of the newsletter are available on the website for those who are new subscribers or non-subscribing readers.
April 18th, 2008
According to an article on the IEEE website, the IEEE Signal Processing Society will offer free Web-based, DSP educational materials. Materials will be made available under a Creative Commons attribution license.
A lot of new material will be needed. The IEEE is calling for DSP experts to develop material that can be offered as a new course, book, or report.
April 16th, 2008
Concurrent’s SIGnal Workbench is a dynamic data acquisition and monitoring system for rotational machinery, structural, and other vibration applications. The product provides everything needed for high-cycle fatigue testing: a real-time computer system, data acquisition input cards, programmable signal conditioning and powerful graphical test software for data acquisition control, data management, display and post-test analysis.
SIGnal Workbench includes SignalBoss software, which is a comprehensive graphical application suite offering step-by-step instruction throughout the testing process. SignalBoss requires minimal training and allows users to quickly begin productive vibration testing and data monitoring. All software set-up and operation is via point-and-click GUI. Test engineers can view any type of time or frequency domain plot in real-time while recording all data digitally. Data produced can include digital raw time and frequency domain with time statistics as well as compressed frequency domain data files.
SIGnal Workbench includes a Concurrent real-time computer platform custom-configured to test application requirements. Each system features one or more 32-channel, 24-bit, Sigma-Delta analog input boards supporting a rate of 200 kilosamples per second per channel. Other simultaneous sampling analog input cards are also available.
SIGnal Workbench also offers optional four-channel signal conditioning modules that provide programmable transducer interface circuitry. Each channel features a configurable current/voltage output source and a fault-protected programmable gain amplifier.
Concurrent SIGnal Workbench systems run Concurrent’s RedHawk Linux real-time operating system. RedHawk provides the fully-deterministic, guaranteed performance needed in high-performance, time-critical test applications. Each channel provides a programmable current/voltage output source and a fault-protected programmable gain amplifier.
April 14th, 2008
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