The recent Society of Automotive Engineers' Convergence 2012 conference in Detroit provided a glimpse of future automotive electronics, ranging from infotainment to powertrain control to autonomous driving systems.
Conferences at Convergence examined the future of electronics and vehicle engineering, while the show floor provided access to some of the latest and greatest products.
Click on the image below to check some of them out.
Booth demos at Convergence tested the engineering skills of attendees. (Source: Freescale Semiconductor)
That would certainly be a hard thing to get used to, Chuck. I used to take my car out of gear while descending mountain passes in Colorado. I would sometimes turn off the engine and just coast. Then one day I got a new car. I tried the same thing. Problem was, the new car had a feature where the steering would lock up when you turned the engine off. I came pretty close to driving off a cliff.
I don't know the details of how it will work, Rob, but the general idea is that it could shut down, even at speeds of 75 mph, when the driver pulls his or her foot off the gas and coasts. To make it happen, the vehicle has to synchronize the starter motor to the powertrain's spinning ring gear during deceleration. To do that, a very good crankshaft sensor is needed. Suppliers tell us that this feature won't be available in the first generation of start-stop technology. But subsequent generations will have it. By shutting down during coasting, automakers say they can reduce fuel consumption by an additional 10%.
I wish I had, Rob. I'm really curious about this concept of shutting down the engine while gliding at high speeds. Bosch engineers told me earlier this year that they, too, foresee shutting down engines at as much as 75 mph.
Why are EV charging cables so expensive? If there are complex electronics involved, why isn't that built into the car, so you could just plug in with a standard 110 or 220 extension cord? Simple power supplies can auto-sense whether you've plugged into 110 or 220, but a $40,000.00 car can't? Can anyone offer insight or point me to a link that discusses this?
With something you love, there's a fine line between work and play. It's a testament to the power of the technology that engineers are having that much fun all the while pushing the boundaries of what's possible and learning the new environments.
I agree, naperlou. The Freescale competition was cool. And the engineers were serious about it. Although the sign said, "Engineers at play," it didn't seem like they were playing.
Beth, I have to admit that I'm not a likely candidate for colorful interior LED lighting, either. Some consumers like it, though. Ford's My Color has been very popular on the Mustang.
Agreed, gsmith120. I see the light now too in terms of some applications where internal LEDs could lend an assist. Although in today's world, most passengers would be using some sort of electronics device--smart phone, tablet, e-Reader--all of which have backlit capabilities hence they don't really need an onboard light for clarity.
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