Matthias Richwin,
Leopold Kostal GmbH,
Dortmund, Germany
Modern cars offer a wide range of complex functionality that comes with several design challenges. This story discusses some of the necessary updates to a roof module in a premium car and the charging system of an electric car.
The roof module of a particular model houses several components. 90% of the generated heat goes into its printed circuit board (PCB), so temperature control is vital for correct functioning. In addition, there is a call from customers for touch-screen-style sensors, as they are used to this functionality from their mobile devices. COMSOL user Matthias Richwin works at KOSTAL, a company that develops and manufactures mechatronic products for the automotive manufacturing industry, and with his team used simulation to model the roof module's thermal behavior and the capacitive sensor’s sensitivity and electrostatic properties. The team considered different sizes of finger and thumb pads along with the possibility of factors like gloves or hand cream.
KOSTAL also developed an inductive power transfer charging system for charging car batteries without the use of cables. Simulation allowed them to find a coil geometry that works as efficiently as a cable-based system.
Suggested Stories
Using Simulation to Guide mRNA Vaccine Production
In recent times, lipid nanoparticles have gained public attention for their use in mRNA vaccine production. Read how ...
The Science of Water Screening
Johnson Screens® are the manufacturers of steel screens that impede debris from lakes and rivers from entering pipes ...
Behind the Rumble and Roar of Mahindra Motorcycles
Optimization is a subtle and delicate art, especially when it comes to motorcycles. Regulatory requirements on pass-by ...
Control of Joule Heating Extends Performance and Device Life
Large electrical systems carrying high currents could pose a danger if any of their components, such as fuses and bus ...
