Automotive Component & System Performance Sensors
Better, faster, stronger. This has been the mantra of the automotive industry since the introduction of the first automobile and the launch of the world’s first high speed train. Performance has always been measured by power and speed, but today’s automotive performance demands efficiency and flexibility and at the same time, minimizing costs, materials and time. With this need for lowering costs and accelerating product-to-market timelines, automotive companies need to quickly and accurately capture the performance specifications of their products. These include vehicle performance attributes such as lateral and longitudinal acceleration, speed and braking distance, as well as system and component performance specifications such as:
- Engine horsepower and torque
- Transmission performance
- Axle and differential torque capacity
- Brake system performance
- Steering system performance
- HVAC performance
- Hand clutch and throttle effort (Motorcycle, ATV)
- Foot pedal effort (Brake, Clutch, Accelerator)
- Closing efforts (Glove Box, Hood, Trunk, Doors)
- Seat motor performance
Vehicle Performance Testing
PCB® offers a variety of sensors and instrumentation for the most demanding performance testing. PCB® Series 3711 (uniaxial) and 3713 (triaxial) DC response accelerometers are designed to meet the rugged requirements of vehicle testing. Hermetically sealed in titanium housings, these gas damped silicon MEMS sensors provide excellent performance while being protected from harsh contaminants. These sensors are inherently insensitive to base strain and transverse acceleration effects and offer high frequency overload protection, a must in minimizing the effects of road impacts. These sensors are ideal for measuring vertical road inputs as well as vehicle lateral and longitudinal acceleration.
The requirements for power and torque have increased steadily over the last 25 years as efficiencies in combustion have made it possible to increase horsepower without sacrificing fuel economy. These advancements have been made possible with the facilitation of dynamometer testing. Torque sensors are not only used in chassis and powertrain dynos but are also used insitu. PCB® Series 5300D TORKDISC® In-line Rotary Torque Sensor Systems are specifically designed for these applications where axial space is at a premium. Series 5300D incorporates dual high level filtered analog outputs, AC and DC coupled, providing both static and dynamic torque measurement capability that can be recorded separately and independently scaled; which is particularly beneficial when high DC levels are present or when low levels of AC content is of particular interest, as in rotational dynamics. These sensors are vital for vehicle performance, emissions, and fuel economy testing or for component performance testing on transfer cases, axles, differentials, pumps, fans, and electric motors.
These sensors and others used in vehicle-level performance testing can also be found in the Driveability and Ride & Handling and Motorsports brochures.
Component and Systems Performance Testing
Whether its measuring load required to engage a clutch pedal, brake line pressure during a panic stop, or the maximum vibration of an antenna motor in operation, PCB® products can quickly and accurately measure performance criteria of your automotive components and systems. PCB® manufactures accelerometers, force sensors, load cells, microphones, pressure transducers, strain sensors, torque sensors, signal conditioners, cables and accessories designed to meet all your component and system performance testing requirements.
