Trends in Automotive: Wineman Technology Announces What's Next for Automakers

Improving Fuel Economy and Unmanned Technology Relies on Effective Test and Control Systems

SAGINAW, MI -- June 30, 2015: Wineman Technology, Inc., a leading solutions company in automotive test, today announced the top two growth areas for automakers: improving fuel economy and making unmanned technology safe.

This announcement comes on the heels of AUVSI's Unmanned Systems Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Aerospace Electrical Systems Expo/Space Tech Expo in Long Beach, where Wineman Technology – convening with the largest global communities of experts in space- and defense-related technologies – further assessed the challenges of fuel efficiencies and unmanned technology advancements for the automotive industry.

"Currently, one of the biggest challenges for automakers is securing reliable and accurate test systems for the new technologies that advance their vehicles in the market," said Darryn LaZar, Wineman Technology sales and marketing vice president. "Regulations, consumer demand for safer and more efficient vehicles, and a desire for market share push companies to create impressive solutions in areas like fuel efficiency and unmanned technology – but they then need innovative systems to test and control the technology so they can be certain the systems are safe, reliable, and scalable."

A Proven History in Automotive Test For the last 20 years, Wineman Technology has created test systems for the automotive industry, with a deep history in dynamometer systems, servo-hydraulics, data acquisition systems, real time controllers, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems. Unlike large automotive suppliers that are focused on all aspects of vehicle design, development, production, and marketing, Wineman Technology focuses solely on test and control applications. This specialized focus allows the company to quickly deploy a team of expert engineers to create reliable, accurate test and control systems for specific automotive applications like those that set new standards for fuel economy, unmanned vehicle technology, and active safety systems.

Improving Fuel Economy To meet government regulations for increasing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements, automotive companies and Tier 1 automotive suppliers must identify and implement changes that have the highest impact in fuel economy.

A common challenge is that standard internal combustion engines require constant fluid circulation, but responsible emissions regulation means turning off an engine when the vehicle is stopped, as not to continue burning fuel. Wineman Technology has developed multiple solutions to promote fuel economy, including working with one automotive company to create a recirculation pump, which continues to circulate coolant when an engine is stopped – both protecting the environment and not burning superfluous fuel.

Wineman Technology also has proven experience deploying flexible, state-of-the-art VVT test stands that are cost effective and leverage commercial technology for faster design and deployment, flexible configuration, and easy repair and maintenance. These VVT test stands execute performance, endurance, cam-phase, and valve deactivation testing, where the test system can physically drive an engine's crankshaft and control cam phasers while taking complex measurements that allow testing before the engine is fully designed. This technology also can be used to validate engine design and perform production tests.

Making Unmanned Vehicle Technology Safe As automakers make moves toward autonomous vehicles, perfecting technology like lane change detection, active breaking systems, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, and self-parking systems – safety becomes a critical priority. These systems are created to improve safety for all drivers, but must be designed, validated, tested, and controlled throughout the design and production cycle.

Wineman Technology works with automotive companies to develop HIL systems that simulate various aspects of both plant and model to test unmanned vehicle technologies. HIL systems bring efficiency, repeatability, and significant reuse – allowing companies to maintain budgets and timelines by using the same set of tools and technologies throughout the entire product design cycle – even amidst increasingly complex challenges.

To learn more about Wineman Technology in the automotive industry, readers can visit winemantech.com/industries/ground-transportation/.