PFI-TT: Virtual Torque measurements for heavy duty engine applications

该创新-技术转化合作伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是提供与卡车发动机集成的准确可靠的虚拟扭矩传感（VTS）技术，该技术可以帮助提高燃油效率并减少排放，同时促进更舒适的换档。真实的发动机扭矩的提高的准确性可导致变速器中更适当的档位选择，从而提供减少的燃料消耗和关于动力系操作的更好的知识。由于排气温度和排放水平取决于瞬时和历史发动机速度/扭矩需求，因此提高真实的时间扭矩测量的精度有助于解决有害排放的重要来源。所提出的装置被设计用于安装在运输卡车、非公路车辆、军用卡车和运输部门的其他车辆中的重型和中型卡车发动机。该项目还寻求将该技术的应用扩展到压缩和液化天然气燃料和混合动力车辆。提高真实的实时扭矩测量的准确性将使工程师能够开发更可靠的分析模型和方法，这将有助于减少变速器校准时间，同时通过识别发动机参数的异常变化为发动机动力学提供机会。拟议项目旨在开发VTS技术，提供发动机扭矩的实时分析，以促进最佳换档，并为车辆提供发动机动力学。该项目的三个主要目标是：1）为不同的发动机构建一个经过测试和验证的最小可行产品，2）使用VTS支持的改进进行真实世界的道路燃油效率卡车测试，以及3）为营销和获得传感器认证开发商业化路径。历史上，汽车工业一直在努力获得和利用廉价、准确的车载传感器用于发动机控制应用。车辆的发动机和变速器之间的更好的协调可以实现更平稳的换挡以及改进的燃料经济性和车辆性能。简单、准确且成本有效的扭矩传感器可以提高发动机和变速器控制的效率和可靠性。VTS精度依赖于从包含在发动机飞轮速度内的谐波信息中提取精确扭矩值的能力。在该项目中，具有机器学习能力的人工智能将用于准确可靠的扭矩分析。然而，该项目的长期目标是扩大瞬时扭矩测量方法的利用，以更好地帮助工程师为快速发展的车辆移动网络开发先进的控制方法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to provide an accurate and reliable virtual torque sensing (VTS) technology integrated with truck engines that can help improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions while facilitating a more comfortable gear shift. Improved accuracy of real time engine torque may result in a more appropriate gear selection in transmissions thereby delivering reduced fuel consumption and better knowledge about powertrain operation. As exhaust temperature and emission levels depend on both instantaneous and historical engine speed/torque demands, improved accuracy in real time torque measurement helps to address a significant source of harmful emissions. The proposed device is being designed for heavy and medium truck engines fitted in transportation trucks, off-highway vehicles, military trucks, and other vehicles in the transportation sector. This project also seeks to extend the application of this technique to compressed and liquified- natural gas-fueled and hybrid vehicles. Improved accuracy in real time torque measurement will enable engineers to develop more robust analytical models and methods that will help reduce transmission calibration time, while providing opportunities for engine prognostics by identifying unusual variations in engine parameters.The proposed project aims to develop VTS technology providing real-time analyses of engine torque to facilitate optimal gear shifting and provide engine prognostics for vehicles. The three major objectives of this project are: 1) build a minimum viable product with tested and proven features for different engines, 2) perform real-world, on-road fuel efficiency truck testing using VTS enabled improvements, and 3) develop a commercialization path for marketing and obtaining sensor certifications. Historically, the automotive industry has struggled to obtain and utilize inexpensive, accurate, onboard sensors for engine control applications. Better coordination between a vehicle’s engine and transmission may enable smoother gear shifts and improved fuel economy and vehicle performance. A simple, accurate, and cost-effective torque sensor may improve the efficiency and reliability of engine and transmission control. The VTS accuracy relies upon the ability to extract accurate torque values from harmonic information contained within the engine flywheel speed. In this project, artificial intelligence with a machine learning capability will be utilized for accurate and reliable torque analysis. However, the long-term goal of this project is to expand utilization of instantaneous torque measurement methods to better assist engineers in developing advanced control methods for the rapidly developing vehicle mobility network.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.