Challenge X: Air Suspension and Shock System

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Challenge X Air Suspension and Shock System
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Presentations Outline

• Team Members
• What is Challenge X?
• Design Abstract
• Problem and Solution
• Technical and Practical Constraints
• Design Approaches
• Other similar systems comparison
• Project Summary

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Design Team Members
Team Advisor Dr. Marshal Molen
Research Hardware Design PIC Testing Apparatus Controller Integration
Blake Webster X X X
Vinh Tran X X X
Kyle Miller X X X
Zach Whitten X X X
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• 3-years competition
• Sponsors U.S. Department of Energy, GM, other
  government and industry leaders
• Provide engineering schools and opportunity to
  participate in hands-on research and development
  with leading-edge technologies.
• Develop more energy-efficient and greener
  automotive technologies.
• Design a hybird version of the Chevrolet Equinox

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Motivations

• Collective interest in inter-collegiate
  competitions
• Interest in automotive design
• Desire for luxury features in economic
  automobiles
• Increase MPG of the hybrid vehicle

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Car Suspension Components

• Springs
• Support the body of a vehicle
• Maintain ride height
• Steel springs or air bags
• Shocks
• Damp out resist suspension (springs) motion
• Stiffer shocks means better handling/harsh ride
• Softer shocks means poor handling/more comfort

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Design Abstract

• Design an upgrade to a vehicle suspension
  system by adding a dynamically adjusting air
  suspension and shock system that will adapt to
  changing road conditions.

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Problem

• Current dynamic suspension systems are only
  available in luxury vehicles
• Lack of standardized implementation
• Current systems rarely have user-preference
  options

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Solution

• Design an economical platform that can be applied
  to inexpensive automobiles
• Develop a standard model that can be adapted to
  multiple vehicle body types
• Implement a manual selection box for the user to
  adjust shocks and air suspension if so desired

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Technical Design Constraints

• System Response
• Controller Function
• Operational Behavior
• System Pressure
• Power Supply

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Practical Design Constraints

• Economic
• Manufacturability
• Environmental
• Sustainability
• Health and Safety

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Hardware Block Diagram
Shocks
Position Sensor
Controller
Air Compressor / Suspension
Power Supply
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Monroe Shocks

• Position-sensitive damping
• High durability
• No electrical input to adjust damping
• Cost 60

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Magneshocks

• Damping adjustable MR shock with system response
  of lt 2 ms
• Commercially available
• Already put into practice on racing vehicles
• Uses a newly developed Magneto-Rheological Fluid
  (MR Fluid)
• Cost 600

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Air Suspension
Automotive Accessories Connections

• Provides rear-end air suspension systems for most
  SUVs
• Less than 500
• Adapts to most GM models

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Air Ride Technologies

• Priced below 500
• Allows integration of our own shock absorber
• Dynamic or manual vehicle ride height control

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Inertial Gyro

• Roll and pitch angle measurements
• Analog and digital outputs
• 75 samples / sec
• Extremely high cost
• Does not meet economical design constraint

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CAS (Capacitive Acceleration Sensor)

• Interior or exterior mounting
• Low cost
• Frequency response of max 100 Hz
• Easily integrated into CANbus system

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Motorola MPC565

• 32-bit microprocessor at 40 MHz clock
• 1M byte of internal FLASH memory which exceeds
  constraint of 512K
• 36K bytes Static RAM
• 10 bits A/D up to 40 Channels
• Interrupt Controller
• Specifications directly relate to a safe run-time
  environment

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Texas Instruments TMS470

• 32-bit microprocessor at 60 MHz clock
• 1.25 MB of FLASH memory
• 80 KB of RAM
• 16 channel A/D
• Anti-lock Braking System
• Electronic Stability Control
• Adaptive Cruise Control

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User Interface

• Switch button
• Light indicates current mode.
• Manual mode
• Automatic mode.

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Testing Structure
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Why Choose Ours?
Existing Systems Our System
Available for both luxury and economic vehicles No Yes
Able to toggle between dynamic and manual adjustments No Yes
Uses fast-adjusting MR shocks Yes Yes
Adapts vehicle ride-height and shock adjustment into one system No Yes
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Project Summary

• The new suspension system will
• Dynamically adjust to changing road conditions
• Be affordable
• Increase MPG
• Allow for complete user adjustability

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Questions

• ?