Car Equipment Research Articles

Development of the LED lighting equipment for railway cars

Development of the LED lighting equipment for railway cars

Endothelial damage due to air pollution.

The first human deaths due to air pollution were recorded in the mid-20th century. There were 6,000 cases of illness recorded in Donora, Pennsylvania, in 1948 and 20,000 in London in 1952; 15 and 4,000 cases of death, respectively, were allegedly ascribed to air pollution. Since then, many countries have adopted standards of air quality in order to protect environmental and human health, although the quality of the air in some industrialized countries remains worrying. Emerging countries in the Far East and South America are also cause for concern because of the growth in the population, industrialization and transport (1). The WHO World Health Report 2002 estimated that air pollutants, particularly PM10, are associated with a mortality rate of 5% for cancer of the respiratory system, 2% for cardiovascular diseases and about 1% for respiratory tract infections. These estimates consider the mortality but not the morbidity rate, which would increase proportionally the number of cases of these pathologies, despite the difficulty in evaluation (2). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS According to the Italian Presidential Decree no. 203 dated May 24th 1998, air pollution is defined as “any modification to the normal composition or to the physical state of the air, due to the presence of one or more substances in such quantities and characteristics as to alter its healthiness and the normal environmental conditions; this contamination can be directly or indirectly dangerous for human health and could jeopardize recreational and normal activities performed in the environment. Moreover, this could seriously affect biological resources, the ecosystem, and public and private tangible assets”. The thus-defined pollutants, which can be in gaseous, liquid or solid form, are commonly classified as either primary or secondary. Primary pollutants are released into the atmosphere directly by nature or as a consequence of human activity. Many of these pollutants, which have an elevated reactivity, either intrinsic or sunlight-induced, can combine easily or react with natural substances in the atmosphere, causing secondary pollutants. The main pollutants derive from: the combustion process in car engines, domestic heating and industrial equipment; wear and tear and the dispersion of materials, e.g. the road surface and car tires; certain manufacturing processes.

Three-Dimensional Catalytic Regeneration Modeling of SiC Diesel Particulate Filters

Increasingly stringent diesel particulate emissions standards have reestablished international interest in diesel filters, whose first series application dates back to 1985. Modern diesel engine technology, with computerized engine management systems and advanced, common rail injection systems, needs to be fully exploited to support efficient and durable diesel filter systems with catalytic aids, as standard equipment in passenger cars. Efficient system and components’ optimization requires the use of mathematical models of diesel filter performance. The three-dimensional model for the regeneration of the diesel particulate filter presented in this paper has been developed as an engineering tool for the detailed design optimization of SiC diesel filters of modular structure. The 3-D modeling is achieved by interfacing an existing 1-D model to commercial finite element method software for the computation of the 3-D temperature field within the whole filter assembly, including the adhesive of the filter blocks, the insulation mat, and the metal canning. The 3-D model is applied to real-world component optimization studies of diesel filter systems.

A Small-sized Variable-damping Mount using Magnetorheological Fluid

This paper deals with an application study of a magnetorheological (MR) fluid to a small-sized variable-damping mount for precision equipment of automobiles. MR fluids are a class of functional fluids with a controllable yield stress due to the applied magnetic field strength. A typical MR fluid is a suspension where pure iron particles of 1-20 mm diameter are dispersed in a liquid such as mineral or silicone oil, at a concentration of 20-40 vol%. A variable-damping mount filled with an MR fluid is combined with a magnetic coil at the bottom, and its performance is investigated experimentally and its damping mechanism is estimated analytically.

Optimal Design of Small Power DC PM Commutator Motors, Part II: Implementation and Results of the Optimization Procedure

Whereas the old cars required only a few electrical motors, the modern demand for comfort and safety, from air conditioning to ABS brakes, requires an ever-increasing number of small motors per vehicle. The car industry produces and consequently uses each year several hundreds of million motors of a few hundred watts. In these conditions, optimization is and will be an important issue for automobile equipment suppliers. In Part I of this article, authors have presented an analytical model for prediction of DC PM commutator motor performances on an operating range. The relevance of its results has been validated by comparison with experimental results and allows to implement it in an optimization procedure. This optimization is the main goal of this second part.

In-Vehicle WLAN Radio-Frequency Communication Characterization

Recently, new standards have emerged in the telecommunication industry, which provide an open global specification that enables mobile devices to access and interact with information and services instantly. These mobile devices are, for example, laptops and personal digital assistants. These emerging standards, generically called wireless "x" area networks (WxAN), will in the future be frequently operated from inside vehicles as part of the deployment of mobile offices and to support advanced intelligent transportation system services. These wireless networks currently operate between 1-6 GHz, although 60 GHz could be used when the technology will be economically viable. These mobile devices are frequently put to use in vehicles. To be ensure that portable equipment left in a jacket pocket somewhere in the trunk can interact with other car equipment or portable objects elsewhere in the car needs some investigation. Thus, this paper characterizes radio-frequency propagation inside vehicle bodies, with passengers, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of such a WxAN in vehicle environments.

3-D Reconstruction From 2-D Radiographic Images and Its Application to Clinical Veterinary Medicine

3D imaging technique is very important and indispensable in diagnosis. The main stream of the technique is one in which 3D image is reconstructed from a set of slice images, such as X-ray CT and MRI. However, these systems require large space and high costs. On the other hand, a low cost and small size 3D imaging system is needed in clinical veterinary medicine, for example, in the case of diagnosis in X-ray car or pasture area. We propose a novel 3D imaging technique using 2-D X-ray radiographic images. This system can be realized by cheaper system than X-ray CT and enables to get 3D image in X-ray car or portable X-ray equipment. In this paper, a 3D visualization technique from 2-D radiographic images is proposed and several reconstructions are shown. These reconstructions are evaluated by veterinarians.

Is German Direct Investment a Substitute for Domestic Investment?

This article seeks to explore the validity of arguments developed by 'institutionalists', such as Hall and Soskice, by examining investments made by German companies both at home and abroad in quantitative as well as qualitative ways. The evidence - drawn from the car and electrical equipment industries - suggests that Hall and Soskice might be correct in advancing a theory of 'comparative institutional advantage'.

Winter indoor air pollution in Alaska: identifying a myth

The benzene and toluene levels inside three homes with attached garages were measured for 12 consecutive weeks during the winter months in Fairbanks, Alaska (Latitude 64.5°N). Results for air samples collected over 12 h for the homes showed indoor benzene mixing ratios ranging from 1.6 to 20.4 parts per billion of mixing ratio volume (ppbv), and toluene air mixing ratios ranging from 7.3 to 41.6 ppbv. A correlation between benzene and toluene levels in each home and similar regression lines suggested the same major emission source, car and small equipment gasoline, present in attached garages. In one home, there was a correlation between indoor benzene mixing ratios and the urinary biomarker, trans,trans-muconic acid. Inside, air mixing ratios of benzene and toluene decreased with decreasing outside temperature in all homes studied, even though homes were relatively tight to prevent heat loss during this period of low winter outdoor temperatures. It is suggested that buildup of these pollutants indoors is prevented by the influence of an increased indoor/outdoor temperature differential and an ensuing increase in home ventilation.

A Driving Robot For Autonomous Vehicles On Extreme Courses

This contribution is concerned with a novel robot system for autonomous vehicle guidance in standard passenger cars. It transmits real-time video, sensor and control data to a remote control station. This station allows remote monitoring of the system state, update of mission commands and overriding of the autonomous system function by remote manual control. The underlying concept for the autonomous system arranges sensors, control and actors in a redundant manner, thus yielding a high level of system reliability through plausibility checks. A multisensor perception platform comprises DGPS/INS, laser scanners, stereo vision and radar. It provides information about the vehicle's ego-position, lane geometry, and obstacles around the vehicle. Plausibility and reliability of the sensorial data is assessed in a sensor data fusion unit. Path planning and vehicle control are accompanied by an 'electronic copilot'. It intervenes in critical situations and yields a safe stand still of the vehicle. The actors are 'seated' on the driver seat and engage brake, accelerator, clutch, gear shift and steering wheel similarly to the legs and arms of a human driver. The modular setup clearly separates the standard vehicle from the autonomous system thus allowing fast equipment of standard passenger cars. System performance is demonstrated by experimental results on assort courses designed for durability tests of passenger cars.

An ultrasonic sensor for distance measurement in automotive applications

This paper describes an ultrasonic sensor that is able to measure the distance from the ground of selected points of a motor vehicle. The sensor is based on the measurement of the time of flight of an ultrasonic pulse, which is reflected by the ground. A constrained optimization technique is employed to obtain reflected pulses that are easily detectable by means of a threshold comparator. Such a technique, which takes the frequency response of the ultrasonic transducers into account, allows a sub-wavelength detection to be obtained. Experimental tests, performed with a 40 kHz piezoelectric-transducer based sensor, showed a standard uncertainty of 1 mm at rest or at low speeds; the sensor still works at speeds of up to 30 m/s, although at higher uncertainty. The sensor is composed of only low cost components, thus being apt for first car equipment in many cases, and is able to self-adapt to different conditions in order to give the best results.

Linking Consumer Debt and Consumer Expenditures: Do Borrowers Spend Money Differently?

This study uses data from 5,174 households in the 1994–1995 Consumer Expenditure Surveys to investigate differences in expenditure patterns between households who borrow money and households who do not borrow money. Findings show that, holding total expenditure constant, compared with otherwise similar nonborrowers, borrowers spend less money on necessities such as shelter, food at home, and utilities, but more money on some luxury commodities that have the potential for social display, such as car purchases, household furnishings and equipment, and entertainment. Furthermore, borrowers are found to be almost unitarily income elastic with respect to apparel, medical services, alcoholic beverages, and food away from home, whereas these commodities are luxuries for nonborrowers. Borrowers are also found to spend more money on health insurance and prescription drugs and medical equipment, possibly due to poor health. Theoretical and empirical implications of this research are discussed in this study.

Structural Characteristics of Tightening Point for Interior Equipments on Railway Car Body Made of Aluminium Hollow Extrusions.

Structural characteristics of the tightening point between railway car body and interior equipments conposed of a tightening bolt and an attachment rail made with aluminium hollow extrusion is studied. To investigate the structural characteristics of the attachment rail and dispersion of axial force on the tightening bolt must be separately considered. Scatter of the structural characteristics of the attachment rall accompanied with load relies on constrained force of the tightening bolt is carried out. Dispersion of residual stress of the attachment rail which is caused by bolt tightening shows the same load-stress relationship in high load region an no-fixed model. The FEM calculation with fixed and free model of the tightening bolt is in good agreement with the load test result.

Vibration Control with a Variable-Damping Mount Using MR Fluid.

This paper deals with an application study of Magneto-Rheological(MR) fluid to a small size variable-damping mount for precision equipment of automobiles. MR fluid is known as a class of functional fluids with controllable yield stress of fluid by the applied magnetic field strength. A typical MR fluid is a suspension where pure iron particles of 1-20μm in diameter are dispersed in a liquid such as mineral oil or silicone oil, at the concentration of 20 40 vol%. A variable-damping mount filled with MR fluid was combined with a magnetic coil at the bottom, and its performance was investigated. Furthermore, a new strategy of control system for MR actuators was proposed, in which the cluster of particles in MR fluid under some magnetic field should be broken by the vibration energy so that the time constant might be shorter in the reaction process of MR fluid to the applied magnetic field. The control system was verified by the experimental investigations.

Verbal versus realistic pictorial representations in conjoint analysis with design attributes

The current generation of high-powered graphics software offers an effective means for presenting product designs. Armed with the right tools for generating photorealistic representations of alternative designs, product development teams can obtain useful consumer input about product design attributes. However, generating computer-based models carries greater costs than producing verbal representations (written, key-word descriptions). 1 If a verbal representation can effectively communicate the relevant design and styling attributes, can product developers justify the costs associated with generating a computer-based model? Marco Vriens, Gerard H. Loosschilder, Edward Rosbergen, and Dick R. Wittink highlight a fundamental question in the choice between verbal and pictorial representations 2 : Does the type of representation used affect the nature and the quality of the results that product developers obtain? Specifically, does the type of representation used in a study affect the information that the study provides about market segmentation and the relative importance of different design attributes? And does the choice of representation type affect a study’s reliability and predictive accuracy? To address these questions, the authors conducted a study with a European subsidiary of a Japanese manufacturer of car stereo equipment. The study involves the selection of product designs from those made available by the manufacturer. Respondents were asked to evaluate both verbal representations and photorealistic pictorial representations of proposed car stereo designs. Half the respondents evaluated the verbal representations first, while the other half rated the pictorial representations first. In this study, the pictorial representations produced higher relative importance ratings for two of the three design attributes, as well as somewhat greater heterogeneity (that is, segmentation) among respondents. However, the verbal representations produced greater predictive accuracy, especially for respondents who rated the verbal descriptions after they had evaluated the pictorial representations. These results suggest that the pictorial representations improved the respondents’ understanding of the design attributes, while the verbal representations seem to facilitate judgment.

Development of Gas Generators for Fire Extinguishing

AbstractGas producing materials are widely used in military or space applications as solid rocket and gun propellants. The chemical formulations of these propellants cannot be directly transferred to other applications as their product gases are optimized on high power, producing high amounts of CO and toxic trace constituents not acceptable in industrial applications.Beneath small scale applications in inflating bag boats or ejecting pilots of aircrafts etc. the gas generators for airbag inflation became a standard equipment of cars and improved safety of drivers and passengers substantially.Recently, systematic investigations started to realize the idea of using gases or aerosols produced by solid energetic or pyrotechnique materials for fire extinguishing. The actually introduced chemical gas generator formulations are based on the experience of pyrotechnics and solid propellants. Sodium azide and nitrocellulose containing mixtures cover most requirements on mass products. Despite their high level of technical development both formulations exhibit strong disadvantages.The work reported considers organic formulations for fire extinguishing, which produce gases composed of N2 and CO2. The gasgenerants described consist of non‐toxic chemicals including fuel, oxidant, catalyst and cooling agent for thermal process control. The formulations show higher gas output per mass, can be recycled environmentally friendly and are of low costs. The results comprise thermochemical properties governing the time dependent gas output, characterization of the constituents and trace species of the product gas, safety and stability aspects. From selected gas generants the following data were measured: Estimation of thermal stability using DSC methods and mass‐loss tests; Pressure/time curves in the ballistic bomb; Rate of product gases by means of gaschromatography.

Air-Bag—Associated Fatal Injuries to Infants and Children Riding in Front Passenger Seats—United States

Air bags, when used as a supplement to safety belts, effectively prevent deaths and serious injuries in frontal motor-vehicle crashes. Air bags are standard equipment in most new cars; federal safety standards require that all new passenger cars and light trucks be equipped with both driver- and passenger-side air bags by 1999. The safety of air bags is well documented, and air bags have saved an estimated 900 lives since the late 1980s (1); however, special precautions are needed to safely transport children in vehicles equipped with air bags. Reports of eight deaths of child passengers in crashes involving air-bag deployment are of special concern because they involved low-speed crashes that the children otherwise might have survived. This report summarizes three of these eight cases (2).

Haematopoietic cancer mortality among vehicle mechanics.

This historical cohort study investigated causes of death among car and mobile equipment mechanics in the District of Columbia's Department of Public Works. Men who were employed for at least one year between 1977 and 1989 were eligible for inclusion in the cohort; follow up was up to the end of 1991. Three cases of leukaemia (index cases) had been reported among these workers before the inception of this study. This research was undertaken to estimate the relative risk of haematological cancer among mechanics working for the District of Columbia. Among the 335 male fleet maintenance workers, the all cause standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was 0.50 (33 observed deaths, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.35-0.70), and the all cancer SMR was 0.55 (nine deaths, 95% CI 0.25-1.05). Three deaths from lymphatic and haematopoietic cancer were observed; the SMR was 3.63 (95% CI 0.75-10.63). In the subgroup with highest potential for exposure to fuels and solvents, the SMR for leukaemia and aleukaemia was 9.26 (two deaths, 95% CI 1.12-33.43), and the SMR for other lymphatic and haematopoietic neoplasms was 2.57 (one death from malignant lymphoma, 95% CI 0.06-14.27). All three lymphatic and haematopoietic cancer deaths were among car and mobile equipment mechanics (one was an index case). The two additional index cases were a fourth mechanic who died of leukaemia in 1992, after mortality follow up ended, and a fifth mechanic who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1988 and is still alive. Many garage mechanics in this cohort regularly used petrol to clean parts and to wash their hands; some workers would occasionally siphon petrol by mouth. Benzene, a recognised cause of haematological cancer, is a component of petrol. Previous research indicates that garage mechanics may be at risk of leukaemia and other haematological cancers, presumably due to exposure to petrol; this study supports those findings.

Hygiene im Rettungsdienst: Grundlagen, Anspruch und Wirklichkeit

In preclinical emergency and rescue medicine, on-target and often improvised and smooth work is essential. Thus, some reductions of clinical standards must be accepted but cannot excuse fundamental mistakes. Hygienic protection of patients and medical staff are both equally important; however, preserving the vital functions of patients deserves top priority. In Germany, official guidelines govern the hygienic equipment of ambulance cars and hygienic management during and after transport both in routine and special cases. Disinfection of skin, hands and surfaces and hygienic protection of the medical staff predominate in daily work. Standard hygienic procedures during application of venous leads, intubation and artificial ventilation and correct handling of sterile materials should also be considered. The main goal of teaching is routine establishment of basic hygienic procedures, and, in addition, creation of sufficient hygienic basic knowledge for assessment and control of unusual situations.

Physical workload of ambulance assistants.

The physical workload of ambulance assistants was assessed by means of the Ovako Working posture Analysis System (OWAS) observation method and a Work and Health Questionnaire (WHQ) for measuring perceived workload. In addition, a biomechanical model was applied to several specifically strenuous conditions that were simulated in a laboratory situation. Bad postures were identified for a number of activities: 16% to 29% of a work shift was spent in harmful positions. Strenuous situations occur particularly during rides in emergency situations. The results of observed and perceived workload are generally in agreement. A number of practical recommendations are made. They concern, for example, the equipment in ambulance cars, training of ambulance assistants and adaptations in working procedures.