Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

Conventional pedestrian protection systems utilizing contact- or noncooperative perception sensors are limited by uncertainties in target classification. Moreover, these systems offer no benefit in case of fully or partially hidden pedestrians like e.g. children hidden by cars. In this paper, we present a novel approach using cooperative sensor technology to overcome these drawbacks. Within the research project AMULETT, we are developing a cooperative sensor system to clearly classify and locate vulnerable road users. The system warns the driver in the early phase of a possible collision or is triggering collision mitigation strategies in case of unavoidable contact.

Misfire detection systems are becoming increasingly important in automotive market due to recent environmental issues (Euro rules). An early misfire diagnosis also allows to prevent damages to the exhaust emission system and consequent costs for the user. Today few low cost methods exists in order to precisely detect single misfires in real time, the majority in fact require the use of expensive sensors (e.g. pressure sensors) or dedicated circuits (e.g. ionization current sensing). This work describes a method and electronic system capable of detecting misfires with good accuracy, using parameters such as the speed sensor signal, already available in commercial engines. The proposed method is exclusively based on the real time analysis of the crankshaft angular velocity and its variations. This is possible since each misfire event generates an abrupt perturbation of the crankshaft angular velocity, that can be detected using an appropriate signal processing algorithm.

Typical markets for high pressure sensors are common rail diesel, gasoline direct injection (GDI), transmission, oil pressure and brake application with their variety from medium up to high pressure ranges like 35, 70, 200, 260, 1800 up to 3000 bar. These markets require a simple, cost-efficient, reliable and robust concept.

Target of the development was a pressure sensor with a minimized number of parts and the usage of state of the art processes for manufacturing. Furthermore, the advanced feature of a stainless steel membrane in harsh environment and a wide application specific flexibility in the mechanical and electrical connector design was also the objective.

The pressure sensor designed by First Sensor Technology GmbH (FST) uses a special patented piezo-resistive monolithic sensor element for measuring the point stress on a steel diaphragm. The sensor works in a temperature range between -40°C and 140°C and has an accuracy of 1..3% depending on the temperature range. With this concept a pressure sensor with minimized outside dimensions has been developed, applicable for engine oil, diesel, transmission oil, gasoline and blend, carbon dioxide and other media in a pressure range between 35 bar and 3000 bar.

In this paper we present a number of architectural security solutions based upon concrete hardware components such as customized security controllers, trusted platform modules (TPMs), “security boxes”, FPGAs and ASICs. We analyze benefits and disadvantages of each solution proposed in terms of physical and cryptographic security, costs, needed and achievable performance. We also discuss the consequences of the solutions with respect to several wide-spread security applications including immobilizer systems, component identification, software flashing, etc.

Car Telematics systems are becoming the mobile communications platform of choice for cars and trucks. The availability of brilliant, high-resolution TFT-LCD displays, up to 1280x480 pixels and realtime camera systems up to VGA at 60 fps are providing increased capabilities for navigation, office-like tasks and communication, and automated driving options i.e. lane departure warning, obstacle detection, sign recognition, blind spot detection or parking assistance. APIX, Inova Semiconductors’ new automotive Pixel link, is uniquely designed to overcome the bandwidth-distance limitations of the physical layers of today’s automotive multimedia links. The new 1 Gbit/s link just needs two copper wires (or four wires for bidirectional functionality) to connect displays or cameras with their respective processing units up to 15 m or more. Thus the new link has the potential to enable new driver assistance systems to increase the throughput and to reduce connectivity cost, cable weight and cable diameter.

Focus is pointed on the ConnectedDrive Context Server (CDCS), a central server component managing the situational context of an automotive human-machine-interaction, that is capable of providing key functionalities for a flexible prototyping process in the development and evaluation of “intelligent” vehicle behaviour. The main features are an object-oriented, shared knowledge management database and both generic, flexible I/O and knowledge analysis interfaces, offering a high compatibility for the connection to existing applications and for the implementation of intelligent reasoning algorithms. Our prototyping architecture is currently used in the development and evaluation of several context aware applications like a context-sensitive lane departure warning system (LDWS).

Passive safety systems have contributed very much in reducing injuries or fatalities related from vehicle accidents for the last decades. Passive restraint systems such as belts and airbags have reached an installation rate of almost 100%, providing an optimum of protection for the vehicle occupants. A further increase of road traffic safety requires also new generations of sensing systems. The systems shall also be capable to address the area of passive safety and active safety. With this type of sensing systems relevant data is collected in the surrounding of the vehicle. By combining this primary data with additional data from the vehicle, e.g. vehicle speed, steering angle, driver interaction etc. it is possible to activate non-reversible restraint devices for occupant protection as well as pedestrian protection systems. The system is also used to support braking functions to reduce the stopping distance of a vehicle. At low speeds a crash can most likely be avoided, even an automatic emergency braking would be possible with this type of systems in the future.

The controlling units in safety, powertrain, comfort and networked vehicle application are speeding up to more and more complex systems. These systems have to survive long-term operation in a harsh environment, where humidity, vibration and, over all, high temperatures will impact reliability. On top of that, temperature and lifetime requirements are increasing, while materials, components and processes are still limited to their environmental conditions. Additional the market asks for zero ppm failure rates, extended warranty and decreasing development time. More reliable electronic systems with high integrated functionality within a shorter period of development time, new methods/models for reliability of components and materials and lifetime prediction are necessary. Understanding about failure mechanism is one essential topic for accelerated test methods, end of life prediction and decreasing testing time. A promising vision is the decreasing of development time using virtual qualification.

Intelligent concepts to reduce the current consumption of direct battery based TMPS are mandatory in order to fulfil the OEM requirements for lifetime, operating temperature range and batterysize/weight.

In this paper an overview of standard TMPS applications and developments towards a reduced current consumption through intelligent low-power management will be presented. Overall goal is the reduction of the battery size and in a second phase the replacement of primary batteries by an energy harvesting concept. Therefore, different vibration harvesting concepts have been evaluated and will be discussed in view of possible TPMS applications.

Vehicles today are often fitted with a number of inertial sensors which have different specifications and come from different suppliers but which measure the same inertial signals – angular rate and acceleration. Integration of these sensor elements into new or existing ECUs could reduce the number of sensors, bringing cost benefits without a deterioration in system performance. This paper will discuss this development, the requirements it places upon sensor elements and how these challenges can best be met. An assessment of current sensor elements and their suitability for use in different integration strategies completes the paper.