A modern car produces a vast stream of information, from thousands of data points in the vehicle. A German company developed a system to collect all the data and to reuse it to generate new information, helping cars manufacturers to develop more efficient components. The system does so by a cloud-to-cloud connection, without any physical device on the vehicle.
COMPREDICT is the start-up behind the software. It was founded in 2016 within Technische Universität Darmstadt by Dr. Ing. Rafael Fietzek and Dr. Ing. Stéphane Foulard. The firm provides its system to other companies – including car manufacturers, telematics companies and fleet operators.
Virtual sensors can measure the dynamic behaviour of components such as batteries, brakes, and powertrains. They offer insights on how vehicles are used and how they perform, allowing for predictive maintenance and improved components design.
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Considering the enormous amount of information coming out from nowadays cars, the system needs to know what data to choose from. “We designed a whole machine learning infrastructure, gathering all the data cars collect. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) is trained to get the right information, and it does so by selecting the right features out of more than 20.000 different data points in the car”, explains Fietzek.
The system tracks components’ life, to check how they perform in real-life use and how to design more sustainable devices. This way, devices’ ecological footprint can be reduced, as waste is minimised as well as replacements costs. With this regard, the system improves failure prediction, allowing companies to predict maintenance more precisely.
COMPREDICT’s system is suitable for different applications on vehicles. It can be integrated into existing telematics solutions, showing users real-time data from the vehicle.
Detecting overload
One of the system’s applications allows detecting vehicle overload. It calculates masses in relation to the forces and acceleration. “Developing an algorithm was complicated, as it needs to work well for different vehicles. But the system can be scaled, and it gives precise results”, says Fietzek.
In case of overload, the fleet manager gets an alert. In addition to that, algorithms can determine whether the overload affects the vehicle’s dynamic behaviour, detecting safety-relevant impact.
Calculating mass also allows getting a more reliable prediction of EV’s battery range. In combination with other factors – driving style, external conditions, and battery health status – vehicle weight helps to forecast how long batteries are going to last. Since the loaded mass changes continuously – particularly in delivering goods by trucks – track it down precisely is hard, as current measurements are based on the previous usage. By the means of sensors’ real-time detection, mass detection is possible.
Designing more efficient cars
Measuring wheel force is key for car designing as it assesses fatigue and component loads. COMPREDICT’s virtual sensors allow monitoring suspensions, car body, and driveshaft, giving engineers relevant information on how vehicles perform.
According to Fietzek, virtual sensors provide a better picture of how car parts work. “Nowadays, a lot of components are over-designed because car manufacturers and suppliers don’t know how they are used. Others break too often because engineers underestimated some kind of torque.”
The sensors can both measure the engine and the wheel speed, as well as torques and accelerations. They can correlate optimally the values hardware sensors give them, and they can be scaled for different vehicles.
In comparison with other systems, virtual sensors are more reliable. In fact, speed bumps and bad calibration don’t invalidate data. This allows having more precise data in every real-life condition.
Tracking batteries’ status
Monitoring the battery’s health is another task virtual sensors can fulfil. “We can get live data from the car on the battery’s current state. The system can predict battery life and gives engineers information on how to develop better batteries in the future”, says Fietzek.
The system measures the voltage in the first ten seconds after starting the engine. Then the sensors analyse the voltage curve over time, detecting autonomously the battery status.
Also interesting: Franco-German partnership in battery production is taking shape more and more
Virtual sensors everywhere
Over 50.000 vehicles are now connected to COMPREDICT’s platform. “Our goal is to reach more than a million vehicles in two or three years”, says Fietzek. Automotive is the focus of the company, but its co-founder suggests how such technology could be used in many other fields of applications.
“Standard sensors are in every appliance, in all mechatronic systems. With virtual sensors data helps to measure more things, those hardware sensors can’t measure”, adds Fietzek. The technology developed by the Darmstadt-based company could be replicated in all devices having hardware sensors.
Despite a focus on automotive, Fietzek’s start-up is broadening its sights, aiming at becoming a major sensor company. “We are starting a pilot project to use virtual sensors in households’ applications too”, says Fietzek. Ovens and fridges in our houses have hardware sensors too. Therefore, in the future they could tell you when your roast is done.
In the picture: Dr.-Ing. Rafael Fietzek and Dr.-Ing. Stéphane Foulard