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Automotive mechatronics$
.
Hans-Peter Schoner*
DaimlerChrysler Research and Technology, Goldsteinstr. 235, D-60528 Frankfurt Main, Germany
Received 12 February 2003; accepted 9 October 2003
Abstract
A large share of automotive innovations consists of signicant improvements in formerly pure mechanical systems which are
made possible using integrated electronics together with complex information processing. Such mechatronic systems require a
concurrent design of mechanical, electronical, and information processing sub-systems in order to reach the cost requirements of the
automotive industry. The motivation for the use of mechatronics is discussed, as well as the most important technological challenges
of the mechatronical approach. Mechatronical solutions for different automotive applications are presented. The driving factors for
future development of mechatronics in the automotive sector are discussed.
r 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords: Automotive industry; Automotive control; Control system design; Chassis control; Engine control; Man/machine interaction
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40%
30%
Integrated x-By
Wire systems
X-By Wire
Collision Warning
25% already
achieved
Electrohydraulic Brakes
20%
Electronic Throttle
Electromechanical Steering
ESP
10%
Transmission Control
ABS, Engine Control
0%
1995
2000
2005
2010
Space
Limit of available
space
Missing
space
Space needed
with convention
altechnologies
Space needed with
mechatronical technologies
Number of functions / time
Invest,
profit
10%
7%
Mechanics
in total
15%
Electronics only
(50% of total cost)
Microcontroller
4%
Control
5%
Production
Motor
Connectors, cables
11%
18%
Sensors
3%
Mechanics
(Cooling, PCB,
etc.)
40%
EMCmeasures
14%
Total system
Power-FET's
23%
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fault the system itself has to support a fast and low cost
repair. Last, but not least, such complex systems must
be designed in a way that users can still operate them
without special training and without an irritating or
misleading ood of superuous information.
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4.2. Sensors
A large amount of sensors is already built into
vehicles (Daniels, 2002). Physical properties to be
measured are temperature, position, speed, acceleration,
force, pressure, oxygen content, oil quality, light
transmission factor, just to name some examples. In
the past most sensors were used to measure quantities
within the vehicle; now more and more focus comes to
the sensing of the vehicle environment using radar
sensors and image processing.
Since sensors do not have such strict physical size
restrictions as actuators, there is a trend to miniaturize
them in order to reduce cost and weight, and to increase
The need for communication between sensors, actuators and control units has massively increased. Quite
often the communication time now is the bottle-neck for
a function. Faster and faster communication systems
have been created. Since the weakest link with respect to
reliability in a communication cable is the mechanical
connection at both ends, a lot of money has to be spent
for the connectors. For this reason, a bus communication becomes economical already at a relatively small
number of signals, if the cost for the hardware of the bus
is low enough. To serve the requirements for different
communication needs several bus systems are available
(see Fig. 9):
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25,6M
D2B,
D2B, MOST
MOST
2M
1349
FlexRay
FlexRay
1M
CAN-C
CAN-C
125K
CAN-B
20K
LIN
LIN
2
4,5
Relative Cost per Node
10
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6. Development process
An important enabling factor to meet the challenges
for future mechatronic system design is to work along a
suitable design methodology. In Germany, a work
group at VDI has formulated general guidelines
(Gausemeier et al., 2003) to help in the design of
complex mechatronic systems.
The design methodology follows the concept of a Vshaped process (Fig. 11); it covers the steps from
requirements, specication, implementation, tests and
operation. Within this process several feedback loops
are implemented for the step-wise verication of the
validity of the specications and implementation plans
in the design phase and the accordance to all specications in the realization and operation phase.
Simulation of components and processes as well as
their cross-checking with reality plays an important role
in this methodology (Fig. 12). In the specication phase
a simulation model of a component is checked for
precise function together with a simulation model of the
process (1; SIL=Software in the Loop); test procedures
and test data are generated in this step. In a next step the
functioning simulation model of the component can be
adapted to the real process in the real world for
optimization (2) and the validity of the simulated tests
can be checked. Now the mechatronic component can
be realized in hardware. After this step the component
hard- and software including its interfaces is cross
checked with the model of the process using the test
procedures and test data (3; HIL=Hardware in the
Fig. 12. Systematic cross-checking of specication and implementation (Gausemeier et al., 2002).
7. Summary
In summary, mechatronics can be said to be one of
the core competencies of the automotive industry. With
mechatronics a better functionality, better use of space,
lower number of interfaces and smaller cost for a given
performance can be reached. Mechatronics is more than
just technology: it requires a function-oriented design
approach to solve a problem with the best suited
technologies available. For good mechatronic systems,
teamwork and use of tools with well-dened interfaces
to link the technologies together are the key success
factors.
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