· Cost-optimized sensor for basic ESP® functions

· Signal processing in the system control unit

· Variable design provides wide scope of applications

Bosch has extended its steering-angle sensor offering to include a new cost-effective model. The LWS6 meets all standard requirements of today’s safety and comfort systems, and is therefore especially suitable for ESP® applications in compact class vehicles and classes further down the scale. The signals from the LWS6 can also be used, however, for systems such as electro-hydraulic power steering or ACC adaptive cruise control. The sensor recently went into series production.

Steering-angle sensors measure the steering wheel’s actual position, the value which an increasing number of systems use to determine the direction the driver wants the vehicle to take. The new LWS6 measures relatively over an unlimited measuring range. Its typical steering-angle signal resolution is 1.5 degrees. The LWS5 steering-angle sensor, which is based on GMR (giant magneto resistance) technology, measures absolutely. The LWS6 steering-angle sensor, by contrast, uses the Hall effect. For this purpose, a multipole magnet is fixed to the steering column. Hall elements detect changes in the sensor’s magnetic field without contacts and without gear wheels. As two or more Hall elements are used, any rotary motion generates square-wave signals, which show a certain phase shift relative to each other. These square-wave signals are transmitted directly to the control unit, thus ruling out any need for evaluation logic in the LWS6. Processing of the sensor signals is done by the system control unit, which calculates the position, rotation direction, and rotation speed of the steering wheel.

The control unit also validates the sensor output signals and detects short-circuits, for example. Moreover, due to the incremental measuring principle of the LWS6, it no longer has to be calibrated by the automakers. Thanks to the new concept used in the LWS6, Bosch has reduced the cost, not only of the sensor, but also of the system as a whole – and has therefore also made a further contribution to achieving the goal of “safety for everyone”.

As there is no mechanical link between the Hall measuring elements and the magnetic hub, the sensor is wear-free. Unlike optical sensors, the magnetic measuring principle makes the LWS6 resistant to contaminants, such as dust, which find their way into the housing over the course of the device’s service life. As with the LWS5, the LWS6 does not require stand-by current when the vehicle is parked. Customer-specific designs offer extensive adaptation options for a variable steering column installation or integration into the switch unit. The new Bosch sensor has been developed in accordance with current environmental requirements and is made of lead-free components.

Robert Bosch GmbH – Automotive Equipment

BMW plans 3- and 5-series full hybrids.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) — BMW AG plans to take its 5-series ActiveHybrid concept into production as early as next year and expects to introduce the dual-powertrain technology into its smaller 3 series.

“As early as next year, the new BMW 5 series will also be available as a full hybrid. And we are anticipating the hybridization of further models series, such as the 3 series,” CEO Norbert Reithofer told shareholders at the carmaker’s annual meeting in Munich.

As emission standards become ever stricter, BMW needs to lower the carbon footprint of its fleet in coming years as Brussels targets an overall level of around 95 grams of carbon dioxide by 2020 for new cars sold in Europe.

“We want to reduce our global fleet’s carbon emissions by at least another 25 percent between 2008 and 2020,” Reithofer said.

At the end of last year, BMW’s European fleet emissions equated to 150 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, down from 156g at the end of 2008.

First shown at the Geneva auto show in March, the 5-series hybrid can be driven entirely in electric mode — like the Toyota Prius — after the sedan’s brakes recuperate enough kinetic energy initially generated by its petrol engine.

This would be BMW’s second full hybrid on offer after the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 launched at the end of last year.

By comparison, the larger BMW ActiveHybrid 7 luxury sedan that went on sale this spring is a mild hybrid, meaning it cannot run on zero-emission electric propulsion alone.

Reithofer pointed to government incentives for hybrids as a key driver of demand, particularly in Japan. “Sales of hybrid vehicles (there) have skyrocketed. If you don’t have a hybrid in your portfolio, soon you might not be selling any cars in Japan at all,” he said

Read more: http://europe.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100518/ANE/305189984/1193#ixzz0oOE53X7b

Honda Worldwide | January 27, 2010 “Honda Begins Operation of New Solar Hydrogen Station”

TORRANCE, Calif, U.S.A., January 27, 2010 – Honda began operation of a next generation solar hydrogen station prototype at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas, Inc., intended for ultimate use as a home refueling appliance capable of an overnight refill of fuel cell electric vehicles.

Honda’s Next Generation Solar Hydrogen Station Prototype

Designed as a single, integrated unit to fit in the user’s garage, Honda’s next generation Solar Hydrogen Station reduces the size of the system, while producing enough hydrogen (0.5kg) via an 8-hour overnight fill for daily commuting (10,000 miles per year) for a fuel cell electric vehicle.

The previous solar hydrogen station system required both an electrolyzer and a separate compressor unit to create high pressure hydrogen. The compressor was the largest and most expensive component and reduced system efficiency. By creating a new high differential pressure electrolyzer, Honda engineers were able to eliminate the compressor entirely – a world’s first for a home use system. This innovation also reduces the size of other key components to make the new station the world’s most compact system, while improving system efficiency by more than 25% (value calculated based on simulations) compared to the solar hydrogen station system it replaces.
Compatible with a “Smart Grid” energy system, the Honda Solar Hydrogen Station would enable users to refill their vehicle overnight without the requirement of hydrogen storage, which would lower CO₂ emissions by using less expensive off-peak electrical power. During daytime peak power times, the Solar Hydrogen Station can export renewable electricity to the grid, providing a cost benefit to the customer, while remaining energy neutral.
Designed for simple, user-friendly operation, the intuitive system layout enables the user to easily lift and remove the fuel hose, with no hose coiling when the hose is returned to the dispenser unit.
Engineered for an 8-hour, slow fill for overnight refilling of a fuel cell electric vehicle, the home-use Solar Hydrogen Station would replenish the hydrogen for a typical daily driving, meeting the commuting requirements of many drivers. As with the previous generation system, the hydrogen purity from the new station meets the highest SAE (J2719) and ISO (14687) specifications.
Installed at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas, the new Solar Hydrogen Station will employ the same 48-panel, 6.0kW solar array that powered the previous system. The array utilizes thin film solar cells composed of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) produced by Honda Soltec Co., Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honda that was established for the mass production and sales of solar cells capable of efficient renewable electricity generation. Honda’s unique solar cells reduce the amount of CO₂ generated during production as compared to conventional solar cells.
Designed to support the needs of the future owners of fuel cell electric vehicles, the Honda Solar Hydrogen Station was also designed to complement a public network of fast fill hydrogen stations. The Honda FCX Clarity electric vehicle is fast fill capable and offers an EPA-estimated driving range of 240 miles. With fast fill public stations providing 5-minute fueling time for longer trips, and the opportunity of convenient nighttime slow filling at home using a solar station with a Smart Grid connection, the Honda FCX Clarity can cover a wide range of driving demands from the daily commute to weekend trips.
A key strategy in creating a solar hydrogen station for home-use was to create a new lifestyle with convenient, clean, energy-efficient and sustainable home refueling, by addressing the need for refueling infrastructure that can advance the wider use of fuel cell electric vehicles by consumers.
The combination of a fuel cell electric vehicle and the solar hydrogen station could help lead to the establishment of a hydrogen society based on renewable energy, resulting in a major reduction of CO₂ emissions and greater energy sustainability.
Honda began operation of its first Solar Hydrogen Station at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas in 2001:
July 2001: 3-unit system with hydrogen storage begins operation.

• October 2003: new 2-unit system with an original Honda electrolyzer and a new solar array utilizing prototype Honda CIGS solar cells offers improved system efficiency.

• August 2008: solar array fitted with mass production CIGS cells from Honda Soltec Co., reducing the size of the array by 20% and further improving photo voltaic (PV) energy efficiency.

• January 2010: new single-unit station begins operation, improving to world’s best system efficiency – increasing the efficiency by more than 25% (value calculated based on simulations) compared to the previous solar hydrogen station system, for a world’s highest system efficiency.

Increasing engine efficiency | News Analysis | The Engineer

Turbocharger recovers energy from engine gas. An active flow turbocharger being developed at Imperial College by Ricardo Martinez-Botas is designed to make better use of wasted exhaust-gas energy from an internal combustion engine.

If that energy could be recovered, the efficiency of the engine would be significantly increased.

’A normal turbocharger takes some of this energy that would otherwise be wasted to the atmosphere, but not all of it,’ he explained. ’The turbocharger is designed for a steady-state operation, whereas the exhaust gases increase and decrease at the rate of the engine reciprocation. The idea is to oscillate the turbocharger’s variable geometry and synchronise it with the engine exhaust to get better energy recovery from the pulsating exhaust flow.’

It uses a fast actuated nozzle to follow the exhaust pulse, reducing the turbine inlet area periodically to increase exhaust-gas pressure.
The potential for increasing engine efficiency is substantial and even greater when coupled with advances in internal combustion engines.

’We are going to see ever smaller engines in cars as we move towards low-carbon vehicles,’ he said. ’These are going to be downsized engines, with a one-litre engine giving the same performance as a two-litre engine using current technology, or perhaps a five-litre engine could be reduced to 1.9 litres. But the key thing is the driver experience and response should be the same.’

Patents have already been applied for and Martinez-Botas has just received a significant grant from EPSRC/TSB to support a detailed feasibility study on a prototype. ’We believe the path for commercialisation of this technology will be through licensing it to an engine developer or a turbocharger developer, and they will then manufacture and implement the technology,’ he said. ’We’ve already carried out testing and simulations, but the key issue now is how to implement it in an engine.’

He is already talking to potential partners, but they have all come back with similar questions in relation to material limitations, reliability and fatigue failure. ’It has been recognised as a sound idea and the grant from EPSRC/TSB will provide the bridge funding for us to test its reliability in use,’ he said.

Bosch recently developed a new, technically sophisticated touch-screen head unit measuring 8 inches (20 cm) on the diagonal that will be first introduced onto the market in the new Jaguar XJ. In addition to the operating logic of the human-machine interface, it also includes resource management for the infotainment system, i.e. it controls the information and entertainment media in the vehicle. Another new feature is the Dual View display, which makes it possible to show different information on the same screen for the driver and the front-seat passenger: the driver has the navigation map in full view while driving and at the same time the front-seat passenger can enjoy a video film or scroll through an iPod playlist.

The special thing about the central touch-screen head unit in the Jaguar XJ is the way in which it interoperates with other vehicle systems and functions. As the most usual choice in this class of vehicle, the integration of the systems is based on a central MOST network (Media Oriented System Transport) and the CAN bus (Controller Area Network). Acting as a high-performance workload manager, the resource management feature integrated into the head unit provides for utmost clarity on the screen and makes it possible to prioritize the screen contents according to the current situation. This helps to relieve the strain on the driver and provides for greater safety and enhanced driving convenience. The navigation menu will appear, for example, to accompany the output of driving recommendations. Any other display information will be suppressed during that time, with the exception of incoming phone calls, which are displayed immediately and route guidance for navigation is temporarily shifted into the background.

The head unit recently developed by the Bosch Car Multimedia division is equipped with a high-resolution color touch screen (800×480 pixels), allowing the driver to control the radio and navigation system just as easily as the telephone or air conditioning by simply touching the screen. Thanks to the particularly user-friendly human-machine interface, both the driver and the front-seat passenger will learn how to use the touch screen very quickly and intuitively. The new Jaguar XJ has also been equipped with a so-called media hub, which allows the user to connect an MP3 player, an iPod or a USB stick to the infotainment system. All these devices can be controlled by the central head unit from Bosch, just like the separate hard disk, which has plenty of room to hold all the user’s favorite music files.

One screen for two programs
The Bosch Dual View display is an option that brings added functionality into the new Jaguar XJ. It can show two different programs where there used to be only one, on a single monitor. This means that the front-seat passenger doesn’t necessarily have to follow along with the navigation recommendations; he or she can choose a different entertainment program – i.e. watch video films, look at the playlist for the iPod or at the radio menu. If desired, a cordless headset delivers the sound.