Automotive safety and brakes dynamics

A study and practice of design, construction, equipment and regulation to minimise the occurrence AND CONSEQUENCES OF TRAFfiC COLLISIONS INVOLVING MOTOR VEHICLES, AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY AND BRAKES continue to be a dynamic subject today.

Astudy and practice of design, construction, equipment and regulation to minimise the occurrence and consequences of traffic collisions involving motor vehicles, automotive safety and brakes continue to be a dynamic subject today. With the increasing involvement of electronics, the subject area is exposed to the latest developments in the allied fields of metallurgy, friction materials, processed rubber, chemicals and much more. Widely broken into two branches – active and passive safety, automotive safety and brakes make an integrated and complex equation forming the core of the vision of almost all the automotive OEMs for zero accidents. Constantly upgrading their offerings to provide fail-safe safety technologies, stakeholders across the automobile value chain have acknowledged the importance of passengers safety as well as those in the vicinity of the vehicle including pedestrians, fellow motorists, two- and three-wheeler riders among others.

In an environment that is governed by regulations and market forces, automotive safety and brakes are undergoing a sea change. With the use of ABS systems trickling down

in mass-produced two-wheelers and CVs, automotive safety and brakes is a field that is constantly changing in form and function. While India is making a big stride with BSVI to get closer to many advanced markets in the world, the demand for active and passive safety systems is on the rise. Linked to the rise in average speeds and the arrival of models that are truly global, automotive safety and brakes are turning out to be a part of the complex mechatronic systems like Head-Up Display (HUD), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Driver Monitoring System (DMS), Blind Spot Detection (BSD) and Night Vision System (NVS). These cover crucial parameters about the journey to attain zero accidents. For the record, MultiwareCore Inc. has joined digital automotive radar company Uhnder to drive software and hardware development of the company’s radar technology, claimed to be the first digital automotive Radar-on-Chip (RoC) that operates at 76-81 GHz and uses Digital Code Modulation (DCM) that offers 4D High Contrast Resolution (HCR). It is known to have a range with an accuracy that is not possible with other solutions currently on the market.

The commonly used radars in automobiles referred to as lidars form part of a system that helps the driver see and anticipate beyond or how quickly it could. With India delivering world-class software solutions for video compression and image processing for lidars, including the one that Uhnder and MultiwareCore Inc. would be driving, automotive safety and brakes are known to be getting a shot in the arm. As autos reach Level 4 automation in many markets, radar sensors, as well as laser sensors and cameras, are linked with braking systems that combine ABS, ESC and a brake booster. Consider the MK C1 onebox brake system from Continental for example. Combining ABS, ESC and a brake booster, it forms the basis for the Group’s productionready MK C1 HAD brake system that supports automated and driverless mobility, capable of electromechanically generating maximum brake pressure in 150 milliseconds. As new research in materials ensures the development of brake component materials are lighter, tougher, more wearresistant besides also being noise and vibration proof, the automotive safety and brakes continue to be subjected to much research and development. In CVs, there’s an amount of work that is taking place in the area of engine braking

and, retarders and intarders (often integrated with transmissions). For instance, Voith is offering retarders higher average speed and greater safety by promising 90 per cent performance of all braking actions without wear. Contributing to the light-weighting exercises OEMs are constantly up to. The new safety and brake developments are also contributing to reducing the carbon footprint.

Suppliers like Wabco are indulging in the development of lane assist systems for CVs in India where roads conditions continue to be far from ideal and chaotic, technologies like AEB, ACC, blind-spot detection, rear crosstraffic assist, park assist, adaptive headlights and 360-degree cameras are charting a high route to safety even as they work cleverly in association with the braking system of a respective automobile. Turning autos into large smart devices with advanced emergency braking capabilities, mapping technology for autonomous driving and better fuel efficiency, and as a form of transportation, automotive safety and braking technologies are leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning. Applying algorithms that use data to automate the process of setting up a vehicle, adapting it to the preferences of the driver, his driving and braking habits, automotive safety and braking technologies are coming to also include IoT. Intelligent enough to inform if the vehicle needs servicing and if the brakes are about to malfunction, automotive safety and braking technologies are shaping up to work on autos that are propelled by electricity, gas and various other means. Taking into account the change in the performance, stability, handling and various other characteristics of such vehicles, automotive safety and braking technologies are adding sensors, an ability to map, to adapt and to communicate.

Due to unprecedented developments like Cars-as-a-service (CaaS), which promotes ridesharing and new mobility models, automotive safety and braking technologies are also changing at a macro level that includes new developments in coatings for gray cast iron discs, to the mega level that includes pairing up various smart and intelligent technology platforms in driverless vehicles. An automotive OEM is claimed to be researching on a concept where drones flying a few centimeters ahead of the car light the road and communicate with the powertrain as well as the brake system to signal the two to cut down the power and apply the brakes with prescribed intensity to avoid an obstacle like a fallen tree, a boulder, or another vehicle that has broken down, in the process turn either of the light beam for the driver to notice the obstacle well before. As the automotive safety and braking technologies connect to the cloud servers and form an important part of the ‘connected’ future, the focus seems to be on pushing beyond pre-collision to post-collision.

Having developed a new highperformance brake disc concept that is light, performs better, and is environmentally friendly, the Institute for Manufacturing Technologies of Ceramic Components and Composites (IFKB) at the University of Stuttgart is highlighting its ease of adaptability for electric vehicles. Drawing attention to the highly wear-resistant layered composite coating, IFKB is also highlighting the fact that the discs that it has developed will help curb a good per centage of the 50 per cent of fine dust particles emitted by vehicles that come from the tyre and brake abrasion rather than exhaust fumes. Another unique advantage that the discs offer according to IFKB is that they do not overheat, thanks to an intelligent cooling architecture and the tailor-made thermodynamic properties of the brake discs. Set to complement technologies like regenerative braking in electric autos, technologies like these will greatly influence the lifecycle costs of a vehicle. Defining the positive impact in terms of the costs saved, automotive safety and braking technologies are coming to place people, road and infrastructure, and vehicles in a perspective that is allencompassing.