Facts About Automotive Technology You Should Know
Whether you’re a new car owner or you’re an experienced driver, there’s plenty of facts about automotive technology that you should know. From the history of airbags to the development of electric ignition starters and stability control technology, there are lots of things to learn about the car you drive.
History of airbags
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the automobile industry began researching airbag technologies. Although seatbelts were already an effective safety feature, seatbelts were not sufficient for protecting the passengers of a car in the event of a crash. Several automakers started to test airbags in their test cars.
In the early 1980s, Honda began offering airbags as an option for high-end models. By the 1990s, airbags had become a standard feature of most mainstream vehicles. In addition, the German automaker Mercedes-Benz began to offer airbags as a standard feature on some models.
The first major step in the development of airbags was the invention of small propellant “inflators.” The “inflators” were small devices that release hot nitrogen gas into an airbag. The compressed gas was then able to inflate the airbag in a shorter amount of time.
Development of brake lights
Developing brake lights in automotive technology involves a few basic steps. Firstly, the status of the brake light is determined. This can be accomplished through various methods such as machine learning classifiers.
For example, a Random Forest algorithm is a good way to perform this task. It is a three-stage process that consists of object detection, image preprocessing, and image classification.
Typical classifiers use the common colorspaces of YCbCr, CIELAB (L*a*b), or hue saturation value. Depending on the specific use, one may also want to consider filtering to eliminate light sources in random locations.
Another classifier, the CNN classifier, has been used to train a model that evaluates the brake light status of a vehicle. This is done by using a dataset that contains images of vehicles with brake lights on.
Development of electric ignition starters
During the late 1800s, most cars were started by hand cranks. However, the use of hand cranks was limited to people who had strong physical abilities. A hand crank was a reliable and simple way to start a car. However, it was dangerous for the operator. It required physical effort to turn and the resulting kickback could cause severe injury.
During the 1920s, electric self-starters became standard on automobiles. Hand cranks remained in use for a few more years.
The development of electric ignition starters was a significant advance in automotive technology. It made starting a car easier, less dangerous, and less noisy. Until then, cars used a crank and flywheel to start.
The earliest electric starters were created by George Selden in 1891. A starter worked by pushing a piston down in the cylinder using an air-fuel mixture. The resulting explosion inside the combustion chamber ignited the air fuel mixture.
Development of stability control technology
Several manufacturers have been investing in R&D to develop more sophisticated technology to increase the safety of their vehicles. This is expected to contribute to the growth of the global automotive electronic stability control market.
The development of stability control technology in automotive technology began in the 1970s with antilock braking systems (ABS). A more sophisticated version called electronic stability control was introduced in the 1990s. This system takes control of engine electronics, brakes and steering. The system compares a vehicle’s path with the driver’s intended direction. In turn, the stability control system applies brakes on individual wheels to keep the vehicle on course.
The system is computer-controlled and uses two types of sensors to monitor vehicle motion. In addition, it responds to driver actions and road conditions.
Impacts of automobiles on the environment
Despite its small size, automobiles have a large impact on the environment. In fact, car emissions are the biggest contributor to air pollution in the U.S. Some of the harmful emissions released from a car’s tailpipe include carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and other toxic gasses. These gasses can be deadly to human health, particularly when they reach the lungs.
Automobiles use a lot of energy, especially during production. This includes creating materials, building replacement parts, and repairing and maintaining cars. Some of these materials can remain in the environment for thousands of years.
Cars also emit carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas. In addition, some automobiles contain plastics and lead battery acid, both of which are toxic to the environment.
Cars also release particulates, which can enter the food chain and waterways. In addition, cars can contaminate groundwater with oil and brake dust. Some of these particulates can also be harmful to humans.
