New RIS sensor from BERU aids car manufacturers in complying with strict exhaust laws
For car makers the world over, reducing pollutant emissions is a top priority. One effective technique for improving air quality is the catalytic coating of the vehicle radiator. BERU is developing the radiator identification sensors required by law for operation in the USA.
(Ludwigsburg, 15 November 2005) In the USA, vehicle radiators with a special coating designed for active air purification are making possible a type of vehicle-based emissions trading. The background: in assessing the environmental compatibility of a motor vehicle, US authorities award so-called credits for technical measures that help to improve air quality. These “bonus points“ can in turn be offset: credits compensate, for example, for excess fleet emissions. Catalytically coating the radiator of a vehicle is one such measure. This special external coating of the radiator grille ensures that, whilst the vehicle is being driven and air is flowing through, the ozone component is converted to oxygen. As a result, cars with this type of radiator make a substantial contribution towards reducing low-level ozone which is harmful to health. To enable the credits to be counted, the US authority responsible, the ARB (Air Resources Board), requires that the actual existence and fault-free operation of the radiator in the vehicle is guaranteed at all times.
BERU RIS sensor: extremely secure against manipulation
This important task is undertaken by a radiator identification sensor – RIS – specially developed by BERU.
It is designed:
- to prevent the dismantling of a catalytically coated radiator and its replacement by one that is uncoated.
- to render impossible the removal of the BERU radiator identification sensor and the reproduction of the electronics/software.
- to prevent the BERU radiator identification sensor from being cut out in its entirety from the radiator and installed away from it.
To achieve this, the engine control unit asks the microcontroller of the radiator identification sensor at start-up whether the special radiator is still fitted in line with regulations. In the event of misuse the so-called MIL (malfunction indication lamp) lights up: the radiator as well as the sensor then have to be replaced.
Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are already using the RIS sensor manufactured by BERU in mass production. Mercedes-Benz, for example, is putting it in all C and E class vehicles for sale in those Federal US states where strict emissions regulations make its use mandatory. Production start-ups of the BERU RIS sensor by additional car makers are already at the planning stage.
BERU sensor solutions: highly precise and extremely reliable
As specialists in Ignition Technology, Diesel Cold-Start Technology, Electronics and Sensors, BERU develops sensors working in partnership with the international car industry. The extensive BERU sensor range includes numerous standard sensors as well as a multitude of sensor solutions tailored to specific customer requirements. These include temperature sensors for liquid or gaseous media, speed sensors using the Hall sensor principle for the contactless recording of revolutions, plus travel and media sensors.
The BERU range is extended by sensors for special applications.
These include:
- piezo-resistive sensors, as in the BERU pressure sensor glow plug (PSG) for determining pressure which changes rapidly on a cyclical basis in the engine combustion chamber,
- the closed BERU high temperature sensor (HTS) in exhaust gas return systems and for monitoring diesel particle filters and DeNOx catalytic converters.
BERU sensor solutions are precisely tailored to their respective use in the vehicle and are installed by many well-known vehicle manufacturers. BERU offers its partners in the car industry comprehensive “one-stop shop” services: from development and materials selection, via the testing of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), high-performance prototype construction through to full-scale trials on our own test beds and EMC specification in the BERU Research and Development Center (RDC).
