Car India attended the eighth Bosch Technology Day in Bengaluru recently. Here are the highlights
Germany-based Bosch are the world’s largest suppliers of automobile components.
Their history is as old as that of the automobile itself – 125 years, to be precise. Over the years, Bosch have pioneered innumerable innovations in automobile technology and have a vast array of products on offer. Car India attended Bosch’s annual Technology Day in Bengaluru to get to know their current and future products. Here is a glimpse.
Common Rail Diesel Injection System
The high-pressure common rail diesel injection system makes cars more powerful and reduces emission and fuel consumption. In contrast to competing technologies such as distributor pumps and unit-injector systems, the consistent high pressure at which the fuel is stored in the common rail enables multiple injections at a time in all cylinders, for quieter performance and to reduce emission by up to 96 per cent compared to a car from the 1990s. By 2006, every second newly registered car in western Europe was a diesel variant. This technology made a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions from cars. The pressure pump, rail and the sensors used in the system are the main products manufactured at Bosch’s Bengaluru plant.
ESP® Electronic Stability Programme
The ESP® electronic stability programme uses sensor signals to continuously compare the actual movement of the vehicle with the direction specified by the driver. If a rapid analysis of this data in the control unit indicates that a dangerous and uncontrollable situation is imminent (for instance, skidding), ESP® intervenes to correct this. By reducing the engine torque and braking each wheel separately, the system helps to avert accidents by preventing the vehicle from breaking away or skidding and to stabilise it.
Driver Drowsiness Detection System
‘Micro-sleep’ is a condition wherein a person falls asleep from a fraction of a second to up to 30 seconds. Many road accidents occur due to this phenomenon. Drivers fall asleep behind the wheel due to fatigue or sleep deprivation and lose control over their vehicles. Bosch’s Driver Drowsiness Detection System employs steering angle sensors to prevent possible hazard during micro-sleep. The data generated by the sensors is studied by the system software, which analyses the driver’s behaviour to detect ‘dead bands’ (time periods when the driver stops giving steering inputs for a while and then corrects the steering wheel abruptly). Other factors such as the time of the day, vehicle speed and turn signals are also considered to detect the amount of fatigue. If the level of fatigue exceeds the system’s permissible limit, the system first flashes an optical warning sign such as a coffee mug on the console. If the system still detects a dead band, acoustic and physical warnings such as alarms and seat vibration get activated.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
The success story of ABS, the first electronically controlled four-wheel anti-lock braking system for passenger cars, reached culmination in the autumn of 1978, nine long years after Bosch had started developing the system. This ground-breaking Bosch technology was the departure point for all modern braking control systems. ABS uses sensors to identify when the wheels are locking and intervenes in the brake system by pulsating the calliper pistons to prevent it. That keeps the car on the track even on low traction surfaces.
Predictive Emergency Braking System
The Bosch Predictive Emergency Braking System first appeared in the Audi A8 in 2010. It also features in the Audi A7, the new A6 and will make its way into the new Volkswagen Touareg as well. The system warns the driver of a possible rear-end collision and supports braking. If the system qualifies a possible collision as unavoidable, it automatically initiates emergency braking. A single radar sensor serves to detect the vehicle’s surroundings while ESP controls the emergency braking.
Compiled By: Piyush Sonsale
Photography: Bosch
