Volvo Developing Advanced Driver Eye Monitor with Infrared Light, Aids Self-Driving Tech

Volvo is testing an advanced in-cabin sensor that monitors the driver's eyes, and adjusts safety and semi-autonomous
driving features accordingly, bringing us one step closer to autonomous vehicles. The Driver State Estimation uses a
dashboard sensor and infrared light -- undetectable to the human eye -- to analyze the state of a driver, detect if the
driver's eyes are closing, or even in which direction the person operating the vehicle is looking.
"Since a car is able to detect if a driver is not paying attention, safety systems can be adapted more effectively. For example, the car's support systems can be activated later on if the driver is focused, and earlier if the driver's attention is directed elsewhere," says Per Landfors, an engineer at Volvo Cars and project leader for driver support functions. Based on the driver's attention level, systems
such as Lane Keeping Aid, collision warning with full auto brake, and Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist, could
all be activated to decrease the probability of an accident. Volvo has already announced a lofty goal that no one shall be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020.
Additional capability includes driver detection based on eye and facial recognition to adjust seat settings, but Landfors makes it clear that the car would not save photos of the driver, or have a driver surveillance function, to ease the
potential concerns of privacy advocates and potential owners. Volvo says the technology is currently being evaluated on test vehicles.

General Motors unveils new Ecotec engine family

11 engines will be part of the new Ecotec family. Will be three- and four-cylinder units with capacity ranging from
1.0- to 1.5-litres.

GM has showcased a new family of Ecotec engines built on a modular architecture which, the company claims, delivers "leading-edge efficiency, refinement and durability".
A total of 11 engines will be part of the new Ecotec family and they are three- and four-cylinder units with displacements ranging from 1.0- to 1.5-litres. Some of
these will be equipped with turbochargers, while the rest will be compatible to hybrid and alternative fuel,applications.GM has also claims that the new engines are "highly adaptable" and "less complex" to produce. The company hasn't released specific details on power outputs yet, but has confirmed that they will be ranging from 75bhp to 165bhp. The 2015 Chevrolet Cruze, which will be
launched later this year, will see an Ecotec engine under its hood.
GM will manufacture the engines at five different plants - China, Hungary, Mexico, South Korea and the United States.
The company expects to produce more than 2.5 million annually by 2017 and has stated that it will eventually us its Ecotec engines in 27 different models by 2017.

Renault reveals 1.6-liter Energy dCi twin-turbo engine with 160 HP

Renault has recently introduced a new 1.6-liter Energy dCi twin turbo diesel engine which will power upcoming D- and
E-segment models wearing the diamond logo.
The four-cylinder engine has a 1,598cc block and delivers an output of 160 HP (118 kW) and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) of
torque which according to Renault are output levels that you get on a 2.0-liter engine but thanks to the smaller
displacement the new dCi motor manages to have 25 percent less fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
It comes equipped with a twin turbocharged system in which a low inertia turbo offers high low-end torque as 90 percent of the torque is available from just 1,500 rpm. The second turbo is in charge at the higher-end and offers a
smooth and linear acceleration.
Renault says that the engine was developed by implementing the knowledge obtained during the research
for the 1.6-liter turbocharged Formula 1 engine. Friction has been diminished by using a DLC (diamond-like carbon)
finish of the cam, while a more efficient cooling has been achieved by mounting a transverse water flow system.

Rolls Royce mulls granola with its clotted cream: Plug-in hybrids coming

Rolls Royce is typically thought of as in a class of its own; sure makers such as Maybach have tried in the past to
imitate, but Rolls has all ways insisted on doing things their own way. They tried, but none too hard with the 100EX electric years back, but when the company showed this car to 100 prospective customers, the response was
“ambivalent” as quipped by Torsten Muller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls Royce. In an interview with AutoExpress, He said that
“A Rolls Royce cannot come with any kind of compromise, as both the recharging times were not acceptable for our buyers, but with hybrid technology, that’s no longer a problem.”
Read what you may into this suggestion. It sounds open ended enough that it could be there just to drum up investor excitement, or the fellow could be insinuating something a bit more serious. Sure, BMW is working on a 4 cylinder
based hybrid system for their X5 sport utility vehicle, but it would be more than difficult to imagine a Rolls-Royce with
a four cylinder engine as anything other than a range extender. As the Phantom is no shrinking violet, the car would need to be reduced in weight significantly, or the
system might make its debut on the Ghost or the Wraith.

Bosch develops technologies to network cars with internet

Automotive technology supplier Robert Bosch is developing technologies to make cars an acitve part of the internet, in order to improve the comfort, safety, and efficiency.
In this project, the company is pursuing three strategic objectives including making the internet an intuitive in-car
experience; connecting cars to the internet and creating driver assistance functions; and networking cars with traffic
infrastructure.
To make the internet a part of the car, Bosch is working on MySpin system to integrate iPhones and Android smartphones fully into the vehicle. It enables the phone's display on the vehicle's main display.
The company is also planning to connect the powertrain to the internet through its eHorizon system. The system combines decades of systems competence in powertrains with software programming.
For the objective of making the car part of the internet, Bosch subsidiary escrypt is developing security solutions for cars, such as standalone encryption.
In the future, vehicles will become sensors gathering information about their surroundings and exchanging them
with each other or with a server. It will create highly dynamic maps and will improve vehicle safety.
To make the car part of the internet of things, Bosch is developing platforms with service brokering to enable public
transportation companies, electric car hire companies, and e-bike rental companies to work together to offer an
integrated mobility service.
Robert Bosch automotive group board of management member Wolf-Henning Scheider said that a connected car is
always going to be a better car.
"Automotive connectivity marks the start of a new era - until now, cars were isolated from their surroundings, but in the future the two will interact," Scheider added.

Volvo debuts new i-ART diesel technology at 2013 IAA

Volvo's new 2.0-L four-cylinder E-DRIVE engine family spans diesels and gasoline applications. The new diesels feature the first European use of Denso's new closed-loop i-ART injection system.

The D4 with 181 horsepower and manual gearbox is the first diesel car with this level of power output in the premium D-
segment with CO2 emissions under 100 g/km.
The Volvo S60 T6 FWD with 306 horsepower and the new 8- speed automatic is the first car in the segment that delivers over two horsepower per gram of CO 2 from a combustion engine only. The car accelerates from 0-62 mph in 5.9 seconds.

The initials stand for Intelligent Accuracy Refinement Technology. Developed by Denso and first shown at the 2011 IAA, the technology features a fuel-pressure sensor and a microcomputer, which monitors injection pressure based on various input data, integrated into the top of each fuel injector. The closed-loop system precisely manages injections of fuel to match specific drive cycle conditions. It replaces the single pressure sensor typically positioned in the fuel rail.
The new Volvo diesel’s common-rail system operates at a very high 2500 bar (36,259 psi). It was developed to complement the i-ART and bi-turbo boosting to deliver required improvements in emissions and performance. The
system will first be used on the diesel-powered 2014 S60, V60, and XC60 FWD cars.
The diesels have an intelligent heat management system incorporating “smart valves” to help speed warm-up in low- temperature ambient conditions.
The E-DRIVE power units were designed and developed at Volvo’s Gothenburg Powertrain Center and are built at its
Skövde engine facility, which produced 412,343 units in 2012.