AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS

A paper format For Acceleration-2014

The paper presentation competition at SVERIS COE PANDHARPUR
Dated at
14/09/ 2014
Department of Mechanical Engineering
SVERIS COE PANDHARPUR
(Affiliated to Solapur University)
2014-2015

A paper on
AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
Authors
1) Mr. Kundgar Ramdas.R.
2) Mr. Malwade Sagar S.
T.E. Mechanical
Cell. +91 9637900392
E-mail- sagar.malwade24@gmail.com
Department of Mechanical Engineering
TPCTS College of Engineering, Osmanabad-413501.
(Maharashtra)
2014-2015.



ABSTRACT
The best controlling on the vehicle can be obtained through the electronic
sensors. The oil sensors are used to measure properties of oil under running conditions so it






















AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
helps to know condition of circulating engine oil in the vehicle day by day the pollution on
vehicle is increased and it is harmful for human health to overcome this oxygen(O2) sensors are
used to reduce pollution. Under running speed measurement is necessary to control the antilog
breaking (ABS) system of the vehicle .ABS is used to prevent road accidents and safe driving
under control. In ABS the speedometer sensors maintains equality in all four wheels motion.
The rain water sensor performs best work while driving in rainy days.
In rain falling it is hard to see views to drivers .Rain water sensor is used to drive automotive
wiping system .As sensors can do the best work while using any automatic system to provide
ease to human being.



















INTRODUCTION

AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
A sensor is a converter that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can
be read by an observer or by an instrument. For accuracy, most sensors are calibrated against
known standards. Sensors are used in everyday objects such as touch- sensitive elevator buttons
(tactile sensor) and lamps which dim or brighten by touching the base. There are also
innumerable applications for sensors of which most people are never aware. Applications include
cars, machines, aerospace, medicine, manufacturing and robotics. A sensor is a device which
receives and responds to a signal when touched. A sensor's sensitivity indicates how much the
sensor's output changes when the measured quantity changes. Sensors also have an impact on
what they measure. Sensors need to be designed to have a small effect on what is measured;
making the sensor smaller often improves this and may introduce other advantages.
Technological progress allows more and more sensors to be manufactured on a microscopic
scale as micro sensors using MEMS

TECHNOLOGY.
OXYGEN SENSORS
An oxygen sensor is an electronic device that measures the proportion of oxygen (O2) in the gas
or liquid being analyzed. It was developed by the Robert Bosch GmbH company during the late
1960s under the supervision of Dr. Gnter Bauman. The most common








AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
Application is to measure the exhaust gas concentration of oxygen for internal combustion
Engines in automobiles and other vehicles. Divers also use a similar device to measure the partial
pressure of oxygen in their breathing gas. Automotive oxygen sensors, colloquially known as O2
sensors, make modern electronic fuel injection and emission control possible. They help
determine, in real time, if the air fuel ratio of a combustion engine is rich or lean. Since oxygen
sensors are located in the exhaust stream, they do not directly measure the air or the fuel entering
the engine. But when information from oxygen sensors is coupled with information from other
sources, it can be used to indirectly determine the air-to-fuel ratio. Closed-loop feedback-
controlled fuel injection varies the fuel injector output according to real-time sensor data rather
than operating with a predetermined (open-loop) fuel map. In addition to enabling electronic fuel
injection to work efficiently, this emissions control technique can reduce the amounts of both
unburnt fuel and oxides of nitrogen entering the atmosphere. Unburnt fuel is pollution in the
form of air-borne hydrocarbons, while oxides of nitrogen (NOx gases) are a result of combustion
chamber temperatures exceeding 1,300 kelvin due to excess air in the fuel mixture and contribute
to smog and acid rain. Volvo was the first automobile manufacturer to employ this technology in
the late 1970s, along with the three-way catalyst used in the catalytic converter. The sensor does
not actually measure oxygen concentration, but rather the difference between the amount of
oxygen in the exhaust gas and the amount of oxygen in air. Rich mixture causes an oxygen
demand. This demand causes a voltage to build up, due to












AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
Transportation of oxygen ions through the sensor layer. Lean mixture causes low voltage, since
there is an oxygen excess. Modern spark-ignited combustion engines use oxygen sensors and
catalytic converters in order to reduce exhaust emissions. Information on oxygen concentration is
sent to the engine management computer or ECU, which adjusts the amount of fuel injected into
the engine to compensate for excess air or excess fuel. The ECU attempts to maintain, on
average, a certain air-fuel ratio by interpreting the information it gains from the oxygen sensor.
The primary goal is a compromise between power, fuel economy, and emissions, and in most
cases is achieved by an air-fuel-ratio close to stoichiometric. For spark-ignition engines (such as
those that burn gasoline, as opposed to diesel), the three types of emissions modern systems are
concerned with are: hydrocarbons (which are released when the fuel is not burnt completely,
such as when misfiring or running rich), carbon monoxide (which is the result of running slightly
rich) and NOx (which dominate when the mixture is lean). Failure of these sensors, either
through normal aging, the use of leaded fuels, or fuel contaminated with silicones or silicates, for
example, can lead to damage of an automobile's catalytic converter and expensive repairs.

OIL SENSORS
Oil-level sensors in the vehicle ensure that the engine oil does not become dangerously low
without being noticed. The condition of the engine oil is influenced by various factors including
individual driving styles and soiling through fuel, soot or water. Oil condition sensors
continually monitor the most important properties of the oil and prevent engine damage thanks to
early detection of insufficient lubrication ability.









AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
An ultrasonic level sensor, as well as an oil-condition sensor is also available for series projects.
An oil-pressure sensor will soon round out the product range. Micro-system technology as a
pioneering technology is the basis of our current new developments. A modular design concept
where different oil-sensor functions can be combined without changing the mechanical and
electrical interfaces forms the strategic approach for competitive products.
OIL-CONDITION SENSOR
A special feature of Hells ultrasonic sensor is measurement beyond the actual sensor housing.
This enables filling levels of up to 150 mm to be measured. Excess filling detection can also be
realized. This is the end of the oil dipstick as we know it, with the oil level now being displayed
on the dashboard as the driver requires. An integrated micro-controller in the sensor allows the
output signal to be matched to specific customer requirements.
Yet knowledge about the actual oil condition helps
1 to guarantee maintenance intervals or extend them even further
2 To exploit the oils service-life
3 to prevent possible engine damage through early problem detection
From technical and economic points of view the following parameters can be
Measured in motor vehicles to determine the condition of the oil:
a Viscosity
b Density
c Permittivity (additional conductivity derivable)







AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
Automotive Sensor Technologies Explained
1 .Capacitance Method
A capacitor consists of two conducting plates separated by an insulating material called a
dielectric. In the case of oil condition sensors, the oil is the insulating fluid. Capacitance is
dependent on the surface area of the plates, the gap between the two plates and the insulating
material. As the oil degrades, the capacitance measures this change. Capacitors store charge over
time. Similar to filling a bucket with a hole at the bottom, it provides pressure on the hole when
it is full. A capacitor takes time to fully charge and it also takes time for it to discharge. When it
is fully charged, voltage is provided across the capacitor.


2. Dielectric Constant
A dielectric is an insulator. Dielectric constant is the rate of electric flux density produced in a
material to the value in free space provided by the same electric field. This technique is able to
detect when a change has occurred in the oil that alters the oils dielectric properties. These
include oxidation, water, acids, mixed fluids and wear debris. There are only subtle differences
between the capacitance and dielectric constant.


WHEEL SPEED SENSORS
It is an automobile safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to maintain tractive
contact with the road surface according to driver inputs while braking preventing the wheels
from locking and avoiding uncontrolled skidding. It is an automated system that uses the
principles of threshold braking and cadence braking which were practiced by skillful drivers with
previous generation braking systems. It does this at a much faster rate and with better control
than a driver could manage.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS generally offers improved vehicle control and decreases stopping distances on dry and
slippery surfaces for many drivers; however, on loose surfaces like gravel or snow-
AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
Covered pavement, ABS can significantly increase braking distance, although still improving
vehicle control. Typically ABS includes a central electronic control unit (ECU), four wheel
speed sensors, and at least two hydraulic valves within the brake hydraulics. The ECU constantly
monitors the rotational speed of each wheel; if it detects a wheel rotating significantly slower
than the others, a condition indicative of impending wheel lock, it actuates the valves to reduce
hydraulic pressure to the brake at the affected wheel, thus reducing the braking force on that
wheel; the wheel then turns faster. Conversely, if the ECU detects a wheel turning significantly
faster than the others, brake hydraulic pressure to the wheel is increased so the braking force is
reapplied, slowing down the wheel The ECU is programmed to disregard differences in wheel
rotative speed below a critical threshold, because when the car is turning, the two wheels towards
the center of the curve turn slower than the outer two. For this same reason, a differential is used
in virtually all roadgoing vehicles. Modern electronic stability control systems are an evolution
of the ABS concept. Here, a minimum of two additional sensors are added to help the system
work: these are a steering wheel angle sensor, and a gyroscopic sensor. The theory of operation
is simple: when the gyroscopic sensor detects that the direction taken by the car does not
coincide with what the steering wheel sensor reports, the ESC software will break the necessary
individual wheel(s)
















AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
(Up to three with the most sophisticated systems), so that the vehicle goes the way the driver
intends. The steering wheel sensor also helps in the operation of Cornering Brake Control
(CBC), since this will tell the ABS that wheels on the inside of the curve should brake more than
wheels on the outside, and by how much. ABS equipment may also be used to implement a
traction control system (TCS) on acceleration of the vehicle. If, when accelerating, the tire loses
traction, the ABS controller can detect the situation and take suitable action so that traction is
regained. More sophisticated versions of this can also control throttle levels and brakes
simultaneously. Anti-lock braking system (ABS) is an automobile safety system that allows the
wheels on a motor vehicle to maintain tractive contact with the road surface according to driver
inputs while braking preventing the wheels from locking and avoiding uncontrolled skidding. It
is an automated system that uses the principles of threshold braking and cadence braking which
were practiced by skillful drivers with previous generation braking systems. It does this at a
much faster rate and with better control than a driver could manage.
RAIN SENSORS
The most common modern rain sensors are based on the principle of total internal reflection: an
infrared light is beamed at a 45-degree angle into the windshield from the interior if the glass is
wet, less light makes it back to the sensor, and the wipers turn on. Most vehicles with this feature
have an "AUTO" position on the stalk. Rain-sensing Wipers













AUTOMOTIVE SENSORS
In the past, automakers have tried to either eliminate the wipers or to control their speed
automatically. Some of the schemes involved detecting the vibrations caused bindividual
raindrops hitting the windshield, applying special coatings that did not allow drops to form, or
even ultrasonically vibrating the windshield to break up the droplets so they don't need to be
wiped at all. But these systems were plagued by problems and either never made it to production
or were quickly axed because they annoyed more drivers than they pleased. However, a new type
of wiper system is starting to appear on cars that actually do a good job of detecting the amount
of water on the windshield and controlling the wipers. One such system is made by TRW Inc.,
here is a PDF describing their rain sensor system. TRW Inc. uses optical sensors to detect the
moisture. The sensor is mounted in contact with the inside of the windshield, near the rearview
mirror. The sensor projects infrared light into the windshield at a 45-degree angle. If the glass is
dry, most of this light is reflected back into the sensor by the front of the windshield. If water
droplets are on the glass, they reflect the light in different directions -- the wetter the glass, the
less light makes it back into the sensor. The electronics and software in the sensor turn on the
wipers when the amount of light reflected onto the sensor decreases to a preset level. The
software sets the speed of the wipers based on how fast the moisture builds up between wipes. It
can operate the wipers at any speed. The system adjusts the speed as often as necessary to match
with the rate of moisture accumulation. The TRW system, which is found on many General
Motors cars, including all Cadillac models, can also be overridden or turned off so the car can be
washed.