The Future of Automotive Testing Conference

This day of high-level content will explore various topics and provide an engaging opportunity to learn from and connect with industry peers. Situated among the exhibits, it will have a relaxing atmosphere, and visitors will be able to dip in and out at their leisure. A highlight will be ATTI’s on-stage interview with Jon Quigley, who worked for Volvo for many years and now runs his own company, Value Transformation. With his broad experience and portfolio of contacts, he’s a very good person to know. He loves sharing his thoughts, too, hence his new gig as ATTI’s regular columnist.

Read Quigley’s latest column on p36 of the September issue.

Also during the conference, Venkat Adusumalli, software engineering manager at Stellantis, will reveal how Stellantis is using AI to accelerate E/E system testing and validation workflows. Click here for a pre-show interview with him.

Innovation Showcase

The free-to-attend Innovation Showcase also provides an interactive platform for learning about new technologies. Speakers will welcome questions and discussion after their presentations, making it a great way to explore ideas together. Like the conference, it will take place within the main hall, so it will be very easy to listen in while wandering through the exhibits, or to come and go throughout the day.

Technology debuts

The industry is moving quickly and it can be a challenge to keep up. Every year there is an abundance of new technologies on display. Some are incremental improvements to existing products, others are entirely new. It’s always surprising how companies find ways around bottlenecks. Often, these developments emerge from ongoing conversations between supplier and customer, ultimately benefiting multiple companies.

Read ATTI‘s comprehensive expo preview in the September issue.

Face-to-face discussions  

It sounds obvious, but the most fruitful conversations are usually the ones that happen in person – it’s how journalists find the best stories. Year after year, exhibitors and visitors report having forged unexpected collaborations at the show, in the form of technology tie-ups or service partnerships.

Detroit’s revival 

A lot of money has been plowed into Detroit in recent years, as evidenced by the stunning renovation of Michigan Central Station, which is well worth a visit. Much of the investment has been in the tech sector. Eleven years ago – when the station was still derelict – ATTI took a tour of some of the labs at GM and what was then the FCA headquarters (see The right wave length, November 2014, Seasonal highlights, September 2015, and Powerbase, March 2015). The facilities were impressive then and are even more so now, thanks to several years of investment in innovation leading to Detroit’s resurgence as an automotive powerhouse.

Visit the Automotive Testing Expo North America website to secure your FREE pass, which will give you access to the expo, the Future of Automotive Testing Conference and the Innovation Showcase

In recognition of the importance of comfort and convenience – which are the foremost features when deciding to buy a vehicle according to a recent survey commissioned by JLR of over 2,000 luxury and premium SUV clients – the robots test a range of different foams and coverings for quality, safety and comfort.

Robot testing

The robots can exert forces more than 800N (82kg) on each seat design 25,000 times over a period of around five days, simulating movements akin to people of varying body shapes and weights entering a vehicle and sitting in one of its seats.

The Occubots also review the resilience of the vehicles’ heated seats. Across 20,000 cycles over 25 days, a robot reenacts actions such as sliding and twisting in the seat, applying huge forces ranging from 350N to 700N to ensure the heated seat is robust and will remain operational throughout a vehicle’s lifespan.

Integrated sensors in the robot track torque hundreds of times per second to ensure forces are maintained during different tests, while a camera communicates with the Occubots to take regular photos 24/7, to independently review progress and investigate failures. The robots also test how quickly foam recovers its shape following pressure from different body types.

Thomas Mueller, JLR executive director, product engineering, said, “Settling into your seat is one of the first experiences when entering one of our vehicles. Comfort is critical to luxury, so it’s a make-or-break moment for our clients and they expect a consistently comfortable ride over the life of their vehicle.

“We’ve invested in robots to work alongside our expert engineers and rigorously test every aspect of our seat materials in super quick time. Automation like this is a vital part of our comprehensive vehicle quality component testing programme, which helps us review vehicle elements over a lifetime of usage and in the most extreme environments.”

JLR’s investment in virtual testing forms part of the company’s wider £18bn Reimagine strategy.

In related news, Rohde & Schwarz has launched the FSWX signal and spectrum analyzer, a multichannel signal and spectrum analyzer with multiple input ports, enabling new measurement scenarios in RF system testing. 

The forum will be a vibrant hub where enthusiasts, experts and newcomers alike can converge to explore, share and connect on all things automotive testing and development. You can expect discussions on cutting-edge analysis technologies and industry trends, and passionate debates. The program will offer an afternoon of high-level content and will be followed by the first-ever live ATTI Awards ceremony.

Here’s what’s in store:

2:30pm
Welcome

2:40pm
Panel discussion – Exploring the future of automotive testing
Moderator: Dr Huw Davies, senior lecturer at Coventry University’s Centre for Future Transport and Cities

Gemma Hatton, freelance technical writer
Phil Durston, technical manager, Volkswagen
Nils Katzorke, project manager, Mercedes-Benz

3:20pm
In conversation

Jahee Campbell-Brennan, director, Wavey Dynamics
• AI-driven simulation is revolutionizing vehicle development
• How to gain actionable insights by using AI in testing
• The challenges in adopting AI-driven testing solutions

Plato Pathrose, CTO and technical director, ADAS and AD, Vinfast Germany
• The key hurdles of connected, software-defined and autonomous vehicle simulation
• How to formulate a successful simulation program
• Mature simulation platforms vs the latest collaborative platforms

4:00pm
ATTI Awards ceremony
Drinks and canapés will be served.

For more information, visit the Automotive Testing Expo Europe website.

Depending on what weight (an adult, child, shopping bag, or nothing at all) is currently on the seat cushion of the front passenger seat, the PODS sensor activates systems such as the seat belt tensioner and controls the activation of the front passenger airbag in the event of an accident.

The seat occupancy mat consists of a gel-filled cushion, pressure sensors and an electronic control unit. The fact that the car seat has thus become an important and safety-relevant factor in the vehicle presents manufacturers with numerous challenges. Occupancy mats must be calibrated and tested, which is why German specialist Berghof Testing has developed its Seat Function Tester (SFT) and the Force Application Machine (FAM).

According to the company, the FAM helps manufacturers ensure that only functioning and properly calibrated seats will leave their plants. By applying various forces and using control unit communication, it quickly and precisely performs mechanical end-of-line function testing and calibration of the seats without compressed air needed – and in doing so it is a reliable tool of quality assurance of vehicle seats and occupancy mats.

The system tests and calibrates the seat occupancy mat with fast, controlled and high-precision force control. The FAM covers three different tasks: calibration of seat occupancy mats, seatbelt reminder testing as well as body sense testing. It is also possible to combine all three processes in mixed operation with a single unit.

Flexible calibration of different seat variants and series in production is also made possible thanks to variant-related parameterization of the pressure forces and pressure positions on the seat. The entire testing procedure takes approximately 50 seconds in total, meaning laborious and slow testing procedures, such as those using weights, are a thing of the past.

Complementing seat calibration using the FAM is the SFT, available either as a separate system – or together with SFT as a combined system. SFT assumes the task of testing the proper function of all motors, control knobs and seat memory controls installed in the seat – such as pressure-sensitive passenger detection systems (passenger detection, seatbelt reminder), seat adjusters, seat heaters and massage mats, belt buckles and tensioners, foot compartment and ambient lighting, as well as the crash-activated headrest.

The intelligent test system enables cycle time-optimized, efficient and safe testing of individual seats as well as pairs of seats. It logs results, events and errors and integration of the tester into an existing production line is easily possible.

The facility at the supplier’s lab in Michigan is one of only three in the world – and the only one in North America – that uses an electrical-energy storage system to cut regeneration times from half an hour to just 30 seconds. It incorporates an independent six-camera system to capture every detail of each test.

Now that the center is able to repeat tests more easily and rapidly, it will cut how long manufacturers need to spend validating components and will shorten total development time.

“Element’s E-Liner sled uses the most advanced cameras and automated positioning system on the market today, making its accuracy and repeatability on a level of its own. From a typical sine wave pulse to more complex vehicle crash data, the closed-loop system adjusts in real time to ensure accuracy. Our ability to run identical tests over many years will help pinpoint design flaws faster than ever, which allows for compressed testing schedules,” explained Donald Lux, divisional director of transportation.

The new center will sit on a 20,000m² site near the company’s existing tech center and will be outfitted with the latest test equipment as well as facilities for creating full-scale prototypes. This will include a fully hydraulic acceleration sled test system providing precision pulse matching, full payload capability, and onboard cameras for high-speed image capture.

A six-axis shaker table at the facility, complete with semi-anechoic chamber, will be used for NHV analysis and road durability testing.

“As well as underscoring our long-term commitment to India, this investment of more than US$30m is an important milestone for Adient as we optimize our engineering footprint around the world to deliver global standard product development and innovation capabilities wherever our customers are,” said Dr Detlef Juerss, VP of engineering and chief technical officer at Adient.

“With this new facility, we will be able to fully execute product development including design and product validation for global and local launch programs right here in Pune, all backed by cutting-edge infrastructure that will be truly unrivaled in India’s automotive industry.

Murali Rajagopalan, director and country manager for Adient India, added, “India is phasing in new safety regulations for which development activities need to begin now. As far as Adient is concerned, the timing could not be better. When this new facility opens we will be able to support our customers on an entirely new level, so I see this as an exciting new chapter for Adient India.”

November 29, 2017