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Startup OtoSense is working with major automakers on software that could give cars their own sense of hearing to diagnose themselves before any problem gets too expensive. The technology could also help human-driven and automated vehicles stay safe, for example by listening for emergency sirens or sounds indicating road surface quality.
OtoSense has developed machine-learning software that can be trained to identify specific noises, including subtle changes in an engine or a vehicle's brakes. French automaker PSA Group, owner of brands including Citroen and Peugeot, is testing a version of the software trained using thousands of sounds from its different vehicle models.
Under a project dubbed AudioHound, OtoSense has developed a prototype tablet app that a technician or even car owner could use to record audio for automated diagnosis, says Guillaume Catusseau, who works on vehicle noise in PSA's R&D department.
Tests have shown that the system can identify unwanted noises from the engine, HVAC system, wheels, and other components. It makes the correct diagnosis 95 percent of the time. Catusseau says PSA is now considering how what he dubs a "bionic ear" could be deployed to speed up repairs and make customers happier. "Buzz, squeak, or rattle is a great concern for car owners," he says. "The customer will perceive the vehicle as being of low quality, [and] this can affect repurchase intent."
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(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Monday May 01 2017, @10:30PM (3 children)
Knock sensors (not "ping sensors") have been around for ages, and were fairly commonplace in cars needing high-octane gas back in the 90s even. Cars these days probably all have them so they can advance timing as much as possible for best power and economy. They're pretty necessary for higher-compression engines that need higher-octane gas because you can't count on the owner always putting the right stuff in, and even if they do it's possible to get bad (or maybe mislabeled) gas, and the consequences for detonation are severe. Plus, you also get a little gas that's whatever the last user of the fuel pump selected (it's sitting in the hose).
The "fancy xenon flasher" is a timing light. Those were needed as long as distributors were used, which is up to the early 2000s probably, depending on manufacturer.
Cars before 1990 did not run "quite happily with no computers at all". The last of the carbureted cars probably died out in the late 80s (and good riddance too). American-made cars were using engine computers way back in the late 70s; it was what the venerable Motorola 68HC11 was designed for in fact. So while there were a few carbed cars still poking around in the 80s, by 1990 I'm pretty sure there were none being sold in the US, though they did persist in some foreign markets for a while afterwards.
Yes, spark timing still exists with GDI, it's just controlled by the computer and sensors now. As long as spark plugs exist, there'll be a such thing as spark timing.
As for cast iron retaining heat longer, there's a downside there: they take longer to warm up too, which means higher emissions, crappy fuel economy, and more internal wear. (Also, they don't distribute heat internally as evenly, so they're more prone to hot spots which causes detonation.) There was a really cool device that came out in the 90s from Centaur Thermal Systems (I think that's the name) that was basically a "heat battery"; a big insulated fluid container plumbed into the car's cooling system. It'd store hot engine coolant when the car shut down, and then release it when the engine restarted, so that the engine would warm up significantly faster (which is good not only for emissions/economy, but also passenger comfort in the winter). People who got to test them out raved about them. Unfortunately, the company didn't get enough interested and didn't survive; basically it's something that seems like a good idea but people aren't willing to pay for it and car companies aren't willing to add it in because it adds to the cost.
(Score: 1) by tftp on Tuesday May 02 2017, @03:11AM
There was a really cool device that came out in the 90s from Centaur Thermal Systems (I think that's the name) that was basically a "heat battery"; a big insulated fluid container plumbed into the car's cooling system. It'd store hot engine coolant when the car shut down, and then release it when the engine restarted, so that the engine would warm up significantly faster (which is good not only for emissions/economy, but also passenger comfort in the winter). People who got to test them out raved about them. Unfortunately, the company didn't get enough interested and didn't survive; basically it's something that seems like a good idea but people aren't willing to pay for it and car companies aren't willing to add it in because it adds to the cost.
Prius uses this technology (a thermos bottle and a little pump) at least from Gen. II, if not before (not familiar with earlier versions.)
(Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday May 02 2017, @11:57AM
They're pretty necessary for higher-compression engines that need higher-octane gas ....
I seem to recall it was kinda sensitive to altitude and not air temp so much as engine temp, like if you replaced the thermostat you probably had to adjust the timing. But its been a long time since the 80s...
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Tuesday May 02 2017, @06:22PM
There is a thing now called ion sensing... instead of using a knock sensor to listen for pre-ignition, you apply a voltage across the spark plug and measure the current. This is done immediately after the spark, and the voltage is considerable (~400V) but not enough to generate a second spark. There is a correlation between the measured current and the cylinder pressure. So this is another means of detecting pre-ignition, but it also provides a way to optimize ignition timing for power. Hotrodders have a rule-of-thumb stating that peak cylinder pressure should occur 15 degrees ATDC for best torque output. An engine computer with ion sensing could adjust timing to meet that target, instead of simply getting the spark advance value from a lookup table in ROM that was created on an engine dyno.