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LITERATURE SURVEY
Automotive electronics i.e. sensors, actuators, micro controllers, instrumentation panels, and
communication networks represent a significant growth area in the automotive sector. The thrust
areas of automotive electronics include performance and reliability, safety, comfort,
entertainment and of course the environmental perspective. Electronics have become standard
implementation for control on all modern vehicles impacting virtually all automotive
subsystems. For most people, the automobile has come to be an appliance. It is arguably the
most cost effective, most user friendly of appliances available today.
The main aim of this project proposal is to implement a system which makes driving a safer and
intuitive experience for the driver. Digital Instrument Clusters are poised to transform the driving
experience. To drive safely, you need to look at only one object in the vehicle cab: the
instrument cluster. But even then, the idea is spend as little time looking at the cluster as
possible. Hence a digital instrument cluster design using NI LabVIEW has been implemented.
Next important challenge facing our environment is the question of imposing strict emission
regulations, with lakhs of vehicles on road and the number increasing by the day it is becoming
increasingly difficult to implement strict emission regulations amongst the vast population of
personalized vehicles.
Drunk driver detection and GPS based location tracking is another important idea that has
motivated us to think in this direction. Over and above the basis of this project proposal is to
implement a cost effective yet undergraduate level design of a new concept in automotive
electronics. Given the proper validation and testing support, with inputs from the industry and
research agencies this project prototype can surely be integrated some day in our day to day
lives.
PROJECT VISION, THE NEED BEHIND PROPOSING
THIS IDEA
2.1 Driver safety, improvements in the design of an early warning system for
failures in vehicles with help of a reconfigurable digital instrument cluster
design.
Though warning systems exist to inform the driver about possible malfunctions most of them are
limited to high end vehicles or have limited functionality. For example there are no means to
inform the driver when he exceeds a speed limit of say 100 kmph, or when the coolant
temperature has reached alarming levels due to some unknown issues. The functionality of
existing systems may be limited to just a glowing indicator or malfunction indicator in the form a
check engine light. Intuitive and user centric interfaces are limited. With the design of such
systems the driver can perform preventive maintenance easily and efficiently.
2.1.1 The need for digital instrument clusters in automobiles
Digital Instrument Clusters are poised to transform the driving experience. To drive safely, you
need to look at only one object in the vehicle cab: the instrument cluster. But even then, the idea
is spend as little time looking at the cluster as possible. Thus, to keep the driver focused on the
task of driving, the instrument cluster must display the vehicle's vital signs in an intuitive,
immediately digestible fashion. To achieve that goal while reducing costs and enhancing the
market appeal of their products, many automakers are migrating to digital instrument clusters.
Traditional instrument clusters consist of plastic housings that contain indicator lights and
mechanical gauges driven by stepper motors. A digital instrument cluster replaces the
mechanical gauges with virtual ones drawn on an LCD display driven by a microprocessor and
graphics controller. Digital instrument clusters were once available in only high-end luxury
models, but they are beginning to trickle down into mid- and low-cost vehicles. Many factors are
driving this migration
Automakers can deploy the exact same hardware in multiple vehicle lines simply by
reshaping the graphics; fixed-function gauges, by comparison, must be retooled.
Cars with complex hybrid or electric drive trains can have multiple drive modes; a digital
cluster can dynamically change what information is displayed as the car shifts from one
mode to another.
Digital clusters can help reduce driver distraction and assist driver performance by
displaying only the information that the driver currently requires.
Attractive graphics can enhance the appeal of the vehicle brand more easily than static
gauges.
Compared to a static mechanical display, a digital display can pack in more functionality
without increasing the fixed per-unit cost.
The costs of adequately performing displays and CPUs are dropping.
The software for a digital instrument cluster is much more sophisticated than that of an
analog gauge. With a simple analog instrument cluster, the processor needs to get
measurements off of the vehicle bus (e.g. CAN), directly measure some values through
A/D channels, drive stepper motors and indicator lamps, and possibly control a
LED/LCD driver information display. A digital cluster replaces the small, single-line
LED with a full graphics display, which requires correspondingly more software
complexity.
2.2 Fuel efficiency
Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes fuel. It can lower mileage
by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent in cities. Lack of a means to alert the driver
when fuel is being wasted unnecessarily is another important motivator for this project idea.
2.3 Emissions monitoring, the need of the hour
The number of vehicles in India has been increasing at a steady rate. The significant
environmental implications of these vehicles cannot be denied. Lack of an efficient system for
monitoring exhaust emissions from thousands of vehicles on road, and the difficulties faced by
the government agencies to impose strict emission regulations amongst, the large population of
personalized vehicles. This is adversely affecting our environment.
2.4 Drunk driver detection
A large number of accidents occur and innocent lives are lost because the driver of the vehicle is
intoxicated, thinking towards developing a system which gets locked down (vehicle does not
start at all) when the system detects a drunken driver.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED SOLUTION
3.1 Data acquisition, logging for monitoring of critical vehicle parameters
Data acquisition is one of the best tools to increase the understanding of vehicle behavior. The
proposed system uses the CAN bus for interconnecting sensors and actuators for monitoring
critical vehicle parameters like vehicle speed, engine speed in rpm, fuel economy, engine
temperature, emissions, and drunk driver detection in real time.
3.2 Reconfigurable digital instrument cluster and warning system using
LabVIEW
Feedback regarding the vehicle’s real time data is given to the driver by means of a digital
instrument cluster developed using LabVIEW graphical programming language. Limits on
speed, and other parameters can be set. A warning is issued when these limits are exceeded, in
the form of warnings to the driver or using other actuators like a buzzer.
3.3 Fuel Efficiency
Fuel economy is related to the number of kilometers that can be driven for each liter of fuel
consumed. It is referred to as kilometers per liter or simply mileage. With the primary focus on
fuel conservation the following factors can be considered to improve fuel economy:
Use of fuel efficient lubricants
Use of low resistance tires
Performing routine maintenance
Modifying driving habits
While the first two are out of scope of this particular design the latter two are related to driver
attitude and preferences. The proposed system can alert the driver to improve upon mileage by
two means: