Vehicles of the near future
Mechatronics combines mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, computer engineering, software engineering and control to optimise products. It is very useful for advancing the automotive industry, promoting safety and realising fuel savings. The EU-funded project 'Automotive Controls and Mechatronics Research Center for Actively Safe, Clean and Efficient Road Vehicles - the AUTOCOM Center ' (Autocom) aimed to promote development of cleaner safer and more fuel-efficient cars in Europe. Based at the University of Istanbul, Turkey the Center investigated safety control systems and powertrain modelling, as well as hybrid electric vehicle modelling and control. Autocom undertook solid research and development (R&D) initiatives that surpassed the state of the art in most of these areas. With respect to preventive and active safety control systems, the project furthered research on several important topics. These included rollover warning and avoidance, adaptive cruise control, collision warning and avoidance, steering control, semi-active suspensions, intelligent vehicle technologies and inter-vehicle communication-based safety. In terms of hybrid electric vehicle modelling and control, the team tested three novel vehicle prototypes and worked on the Ford Transit Hybrid Electric Vehicles. The prototypes were deemed very successful, as was optimisation on their control components. Lastly, in the area of powertrain modelling and control, the project made progress with respect to diesel engine models. Overall, the Autocom Center became a pioneer in automotive control and mechatronics in Turkey, the largest bus manufacturer in Europe and among the largest vehicle producers on the continent. Autocom also produced numerous articles, papers, websites and presentations on the topic. These publications, built on the project's results and Center's milestones, have already started helping the auto industry become safer and greener. More progress is expected over the next few years.
