Pocobor.


VW: Smart Power Analysis


CLIENT The Volkswagen of America Electronics Research Lab (ERL) is a cutting edge electronics research facility whose mission is to keep Volkswagen at the forefront of automotive electronic innovation and expertise.

PROJECT GOAL The design, manufacture, and installation of a high accuracy, portable electronic power monitoring system into VW Passat and Audi A6 test vehicles to explore inefficiencies in the vehicles' electric systems.

OVERVIEW The Volkswagen ERL contracted Pocobor to develop a system to monitor and record the power consumption of every in-car electrical system in different driving scenarios. The system consisted of three main parts: a custom vehicle harness, a data acquisition system, and a touch screen human interface. A custom vehicle harness was constructed for each test vehicle that connected directly into the automobile's fuse system and passed current through the data acquisition sensor bank. In order to capture large amounts of data quickly, a real time controller, with software developed by Pocobor, was used to acquire data from an array of high sensitivity sensors. A touch screen with custom software was implemented to allow the researchers to easily start, stop, and save tests while operating the vehicle. In addition, the data acquisition system and the touch screen interface were designed to be portable between different test vehicles.

PROJECT PHASES
Design: Data acquisition and touch screen software design, data acquisition and sensor system structure design and mounting, and the preliminary design of each custom vehicle harness.
System Integration: Design and installation of a custom vehicle harness and testing and verification of the installed system in both test vehicles.
Field Support: Support researchers during initial testing.

VALUE PROVIDED Pocobor provided VW with expertise and a time-effective development cycle, due to Pocobor's ability to quickly integrate mechanical systems with electronics and software. This allowed Volkswagen to focus on power management research, not tool development.

Partial Client List

  • Volkswagen

  • Bosch

  • SolarCity

  • GreenVolts

  • Kirkland & Ellis LLP

  • Ardica

  • Red Visor Designs

  • PicWing

  • Vestal Design

  • JPWorks

  • Knoend

  • Ploom