Delphi to Present 40 Technical Papers at SAE 1999
22 February 1999
Delphi to Present 40 Technical Papers at SAE 1999
TROY, Mich., Feb. 22 -- Delphi Automotive Systems
will address important industry issues through its publishing of 40
technical papers at the 1999 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
International Congress & Exposition, March 1-4 in Detroit.
Delphi engineers will present their work on a variety of important
automotive industry subjects, including modularity, globalization, the
environment, manufacturability, and analytical design, as applied to many of
Delphi's product lines.
"We want to lead the industry debate on the issues that are most important
to our customers and to the public," said J.T. Battenberg III, chairman, chief
executive officer and president of Delphi. "Our technical presentations at
SAE are geared toward sharing the enormous amount of research we've conducted
in these areas."
Highlights of nine significant Delphi papers to be presented at SAE
include the following:
The challenges of global collaboration are explored through the wiring
assembly business, in the paper "Globalization of the Design for
Manufacturability/Assembly Process within the Automotive Wiring Assembly
Business." It is common today to engineer the design of a wiring assembly in
one region of the world, to manufacture it in another, and to assemble in yet
another. To do so effectively, the organization must develop and implement a
strategy to successfully execute Design for Manufacturability (DFM) on a
global basis.
A global Delphi team also developed the analytical tool for control
algorithm development described in "Development of a Common Vehicle Model for
Chassis Control Design." The components of this model are tire, powertrain,
steering, brake, suspension environment, driver response, brake control
algorithm and suspension control algorithm modules. This model can be run
with hardware in the loop, controller in the loop and in pure simulation mode.
"Modeling and Analysis of an Electric Power Steering System" adds to
Delphi's foundation of math-based tools used to optimize advanced systems. In
this paper, a Reduced Order Model revealing the important dynamic distinctions
of the Electric Power Steering system is developed from a more complex one,
thus enhancing the simplicity and useablility of the model. The model is used
to analyze various closed loop effects such as torque performance, disturbance
rejection, noise rejection, road feel, and stability, which are subsequently
used in the design of a desired control system.
Delphi's strength in systems integration is enhanced through "Multi-Sensor
Modules with Data Bus Communication Capability." Proper sensor grouping,
packaging and device placement are key issues in the implementation of smart
sensor modules capable of vehicle-wide communications. The capability to
accommodate a variety of data bus communication protocols is required to
satisfy the majority of automotive systems. This paper covers the module
issues associated with sensing, packaging, electronics, communication and
system integration, thereby allowing cost-effective implementation of a smart
sensor network throughout the automobile.
Vehicle communication architectures are further addressed through
"Expandable Passive Optical Star Network Architecture for Automotive
Applications" The passive star network has been shown to be the highest fault
tolerant system, but has not been widely implemented due to the potential
application limitations of insufficient node count and relatively short node
lengths. The paper provides a solution to overcome the limitations of the
passive star through the introduction of a new communication component, the
Active Distribution Node (ADN). The ADN enables a passive star network to
support larger node counts and significantly longer node lengths, without
sacrificing fault tolerance or the low cost nature of the basic passive star
architecture.
"The Migration of Powertrain Electronics to On-Engine and On-Transmission"
discusses the trend for the mounting location of powertrain electronics
migrating from the traditional passenger and underhood compartments to on the
engine and transmission. The paper explores the potential system level
benefits of on engine/transmission mounting, the resulting challenges for the
electronics packaging of these products, and guidelines for optimal mounting
location design.
Delphi's commitment to the environment is evidenced through "Powertrains
of the Future: Reducing the Impact of Transportation on the Environment."
which proposes that tomorrow's winning powertrain solutions reside in those
technology combinations that provide optimized propulsion systems with zero
emissions and no cost or performance penalty compared with today's vehicles.
This paper explores the environmental equation that expresses the vehicle
manufacturers' aptitude and desire to create zero emission vehicles at
acceptable levels of performance through combinations of technologies and
systems optimization.
"Enhancement of R-134a Automotive Air Conditioning Systems" also addresses
the environment through the potential augmentation of the present R134a
automotive air conditioning system with the intent to lower its total
equivalent warming impact, a source of concern for environmental benignity of
the system.
"Overview of Advances in TPO Skin Material and Process Technology"
discusses a trend to replace thermoformable PVC with TPO (Thermoplastic
Olefin) primarily for its long term durability and environmental
characteristics. The paper reviews current material and process technology
solutions to resolve TPO performance issues such as grain retention,
paintability, scuff and mar resistance and latitude in process window.
Delphi's experiences introducing this material into existing manufacturing
equipment are explored.
Delphi Automotive Systems , with headquarters in Troy, Mich.,
USA, is a world leader in automotive component and systems technology.
Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal &
Electrical Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communications -- provide
comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has more
than 200,000 employees and operates 169 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 40
joint ventures and 27 technical centers in 36 countries. Regional
headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo. Delphi can be found
on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com.