The paper discusses a design of a matrix LED display for car rear combination lamps and its power supply. It provides basic information about converters, light, and electronics requirements in the automotive industry. The design of individual circuits, printed circuit board, and firmware are analyzed. Predefined animations have safety, practical, and design functions. The innovative solution presents a new level of communication between the vehicle and its environment. The purpose is to increase safety and improve traffic flow.

This thesis deals with the use of non-metallic highly thermally conductive materials, more concrete-ly special plastic materials, enriched with highly thermally conductive additives, for the purpose of passive cooling of a given heat source. The thesis compares the effectivity of these heat sinks with the classically used materials, specifically aluminium. The thesis is divided into two main sections, theoretical and practical. The theoretical part deals with a constantly growing need of LED (Light Emitting Diode) chips cooling in automotive head-lamps, where the new materials could be put into effect, analyses possible replacement of classic aluminium heat sinks with different materials with a significantly lower thermal conductivity and introduces problems of such materials. The practical part applies the problematic described in the theoretical one on the actually produced heat sinks, which are compared among themselves, with regard to their method of production, as well as with aluminium counterpart in different conditions. Furthermore, the problematic of de-signing a heat sink made from material which is characteristic for its highly anisotropic thermal con-ductivity is dealt with. The end of the thesis shows the importance of heat dissipation via radiation, which can have a great significance in case of plastic heat sinks and in a specific applications.

This diploma thesis deals with the fundamental analysis of selected metals as commodities, for use in the production of batteries for electric vehicles, to hedge against changes in the price of physical raw materials. Selected metals are analyzed based on the fundamental parameters, historical price development and the current situation on the commodity market. Based on these fundamental data, a recommendation is formulated for the method of hedging the prices of selected commodities.

The aim of this thesis is the exterior design of an urban electric vehicle and the implementation of technologies into the proposed design, which is promising for future applications in the automotive industry. The analytical part of this work is concerned with the history of electric vehicles, the available contemporary technologies and further analyses the visual properties of electric vehicles. The design of the electric vehicle is presented in the practical part. The shape and the composition of the vehicle is described in detail, and further the applied technologies, ergonomics and design elements of the electric car are presented.

The idea for the vehicle was inspired by an interest in creating a tranportation possiblity with an advanced design. The author had the fortunate opportunity to carry out an exam project at the automobile company Changan whose design department is in Turin, Italy. Changan produces almost exclusively passenger vehicles for the Asian market. The Asian auto user has shown a great interest in premium and personalised luxury qualities and at the same time demands unique safety aspects. As a result the author was inspired to design a vehicle which combined both aspects in a unique passenger vehicle for the future. Because of the masstransit situation in mega-cities the author felt inspired to test a new highway infrastructure possiblity in the conception of the vehicle design, the tunnel system. Classical hand drawings together with digital ideation drawing and 3D software models were the tools implemented for the design process. The work process was not linear starting with hand drawings and ending in complex computer models but took on a laborious path doubling back on and reworking all the different creative routes in a method which culminated in an end product. The end result is the Traveler, a shared auto service for two for 2050, a unique expansion on Changan´s historical production of passenger vehicles. The automoble is conceived as a two-compartment passenger transport option. Its size allows for different rider experiences: work, relaxation and entertainment while on the go. Because the passenger is in her/his own „room" there is a guaranty for complete privacy and ultimate safety from outside influence.

<div><p>Deep neural networks are essential in applications such as image categorization, natural language processing, autonomous driving, home automation, and robotics. Most of these applications require instantaneous processing of data and decision making. In general existing neural networks are computationally expensive, and hence they fail to perform in real-time. Models performing semantic segmentation are being extensively used in self-driving vehicles. Autonomous vehicles not only need segmented output, but also control system capable of processing segmented output and deciding actuator outputs such as speed and direction.</p> <p><br></p> <p>In this thesis we propose efficient neural network architectures with fewer operations and parameters as compared to current state-of-the-art algorithms. Our work mainly focuses on designing deep neural network architectures for semantic segmentation. First, we introduce few network modules and concepts which help in reducing model complexity. Later on, we show that in terms of accuracy our proposed networks perform better or at least at par with state-of-the-art neural networks. Apart from that, we also compare our networks' performance on edge devices such as Nvidia TX1. Lastly, we present a control system capable of predicting steering angle and speed of a vehicle based on the neural network output.</p></div>

New opportunities open up in a future, where autonomy is daily business, car lighting loses its main purpose and engine sounds are gone completely. BMW Duality is a Concept that focuses on interactions with the exterior of future vehicles. These interactions use multiple human senses to create a unique exterior experience that changes the sensual perception of vehicles when approaching them. The cars physical shape is inspired by the simplicity of 80s and 90s design to offer a clean canvas for the layer of rich digital impressions which will be added on top of it. Sound design, haptic feedback and visual feedback in combination with a modern appearance create a totally new way how BMW could set itself apart in a future where every brand will offer its own shared mobility service. These exterior interactions are not just beneficial for the brand but will enhance the daily life of users as well as the society around it.The degree project process started with a general research phase analyzing our future world with focus on technologies that work together with human senses. After the concept was set, the design process started with thumbnail doodling and rough ideation sketches. Selected themes then got further detailed with digital 2D tools or modelled as rough 3D volumes.The CAS- modelling phase was structured by constantVR review sessions to get a real feeling for the volume in space.This simulated a real-world process, where multiple models are built in full scale.To finalize the project and tell the complete story, a physical model and a virtual animation was created. The outcome of the project is a compact autonomous EV, using multiple ways of communicating with its surrounding. Light, sound and haptic feedback are combined in countless situations to create unique experiences on the vehicle’s exterior. The car can express its character by peripheral feedback through multiplesenses but can also communicate in a direct way to individual users simultaneously. The car will bring users or potential customers one a journey towards the car already without even entering.

It is accepted that defective structural designs are mostly caused by insufficient knowledge of input data, such as material properties or loading, rather than inadequate analysis or testing methods. In particular, loads associated with automotive and transport (trucks, trailers, containers, trains) structures are nontrivial to quantify. Such loads arise from stochastic and ill-defined processes such as driver/operator actions and structure-terrain interaction. The fundamental processes involved with the determination of input loading are measurements, surveys, simulation, estimation and calculation from field failures. These processes result in design criteria, code requirements and/or testing requirements. The present study deals with methods for the establishment of input loading for automotive and transport structures. It is attempted to generalise and unify new and existing techniques into a cohesive methodology. This is achieved by combining researched current theory and best practices, with lessons learned during application on, as well as new techniques developed for, a number of complex case studies, involving road tanker vehicles, light commercial vehicles, industrial vehicles, as well as tank containers. Apart from the above, the present study offers four individual, unique contributions. Firstly, two methods, widely applied by industry, namely the Remote Parameter Analysis (RPA) method, which entails deriving time domain dynamic loads by multiplying measured signals from remotely placed transducers with a unit-load static finite element based transfer matrix, as well as the Modal Superposition method, are combined to establish a methodology which accounts for modal response without the need for expensive dynamic response analysis. Secondly, a concept named Fatigue Equivalent Static Load (FESL) is developed, where fatigue load requirements are derived from measurements as quasi-static g-loads, the responses to which are considered as stress ranges applied a said number of times during the lifetime of the structure. In particular, it is demonstrated that the method may be employed for multi-axial g-loading, as well as for cases where constraint conditions change during the mission of the vehicle. The method provides some benefits compared to similar methods employed in the industry. Thirdly, a complex analytical model named Two Parameter Approach (TPA) is developed, defining the usage profile of a vehicle in terms of a bivariate probability density distribution of two parameters (distance/day, fatigue damage/distance), derived from measurements and surveys. Based on an inversion of the TPA model, a robust technique is developed for the derivation of such statistical usage profiles from only field failure data. Lastly, the applicability of the methods is demonstrated on a wide range of comprehensive case studies. Importantly, in most cases, substantiation of the methods is achieved by comparison of predicted failures with ‘real-world’ failures, in some cases made possible by the unusually long duration of the study. / Thesis (PhD (Mechanical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / PhD / Unrestricted

The high specific stiffness and strength of composites makes it advantageous for load carrying structures in the automotive industry. By successfully be able to numerically simulate the crush behaviour of composites, structure with high specific energy absorption can be implemented in the automotive industry. The purpose of this thesis is to verify the predictive capabilities of a crush model developed at SICOMP. Initially currently available material models are investigated. Puck’s criterion is deeper studied. An improvement of the criterion is suggested and the model is updated to be able to output fracture angles in Abaqus.The material model developed by SICOMP is a three-dimensional physically based damage model where failure initiation is estimated with proven failure criteria and damage growth is combined with friction to account for the right energy absorption. The crush damage model has been implemented in Abaqus/Explicit as a VUMAT subroutine. Numerical predictions are compared with experimental results. Specimens with different fibre layups and crash triggers are tested.

This thesis was conducted to explore and try to understand the area of comfort within cars with an emphasize on interior surfaces. Research within comfort has been focused on the consequences of moving mechanical parts and not on the user experience of the interior cabin design. A user-centered approach has been implemented to focus on those who are experiencing comfort. Two extensive-user tests have been conducted to investigate the perception of surface material and the combination of radiuses and paddings against three body parts. The results have then been statistically analyzed in combination with a qualitative analysis. It has been found that comfort is hard to define, but many participants, scholars, and designers agree that comfort induces a feeling of relaxation and pleasantness. The user tests have also investigated how the tactile and visual senses affect the perceived pleasantness of a surface material, where the results differ depending on the material. However, both senses need to be considered when designing for comfort. Comfort is considered important to achieve satisfied users, which implies that the evaluation of comfort should be implemented as an essential part of the design process.