無論是重塑座艙體驗(yàn)、重新封裝動力系統(tǒng)，還是編寫全新的軟件解決方案，法雷奧（Valeo）一直致力于打造更智能的出行技術(shù)。法雷奧北美公司總裁Jeffrey Shay在今年9月公司舉辦的創(chuàng)新日活動上告訴SAE：“這些技術(shù)整合之后，不僅能夠支持汽車電氣化轉(zhuǎn)型，還能加快轉(zhuǎn)型的速度。”
法雷奧是一家擁有101年歷史的全球汽車零部件供應(yīng)商，其技術(shù)專家向我們詳細(xì)介紹了位于密歇根州特洛伊的北美總部目前正在生產(chǎn)和研發(fā)的多款產(chǎn)品和技術(shù)。本文介紹了其中的部分技術(shù)亮點(diǎn)。
法雷奧的Panovision是一款橫跨左右A柱的信息娛樂與沉浸式導(dǎo)航顯示方案，由三塊15.9英寸（404 mm）的液晶顯示屏組成。這三塊lcd顯示屏在儀表臺內(nèi)部無縫集成為一塊更大的屏幕。法雷奧資深光電子技術(shù)專家Gus McDonald表示：“這套方案并未利用光學(xué)元件進(jìn)行投影，而是利用了顯示屏的機(jī)械位置，并利用擋風(fēng)玻璃上的一條黑色涂層反光帶增強(qiáng)反射率，從而增強(qiáng)顯示效果。”McDonald表示，普通擋風(fēng)玻璃的反射率為15%-20%，而Panovision顯示方案的反射率則高達(dá)40%。
信息娛樂數(shù)據(jù)呈現(xiàn)在距離駕駛員4.9英尺（1.5m）的前方。McDonald表示：“這一距離是由光線反射到駕駛員眼睛的光路長度決定的。”在研發(fā)Panovision的過程中，如何編寫軟件代碼以控制數(shù)字顯示屏中288個(gè)區(qū)域的調(diào)光，以及如何集成背光功能是法雷奧工程師重點(diǎn)解決的兩項(xiàng)關(guān)鍵任務(wù)。McDonald稱：“法雷奧LED散熱片專利技術(shù)能夠有效散熱，最大限度地減少了對持續(xù)主動冷卻的需求。”目前，法雷奧的Panovision顯示設(shè)備尚未投產(chǎn)。
相較于目前集成了電機(jī)、變速箱和逆變器的最先進(jìn)的3合1電驅(qū)系統(tǒng)，法雷奧Smart eDrive 6合1即插即用智能電驅(qū)系統(tǒng)增加了三個(gè)組件，即車載充電器、直流-直流轉(zhuǎn)換器以及配電單元。法雷奧動力系統(tǒng)事業(yè)部的首席客戶工程師Jonathan Rost表示：“通過使用這些電子設(shè)備，電驅(qū)系統(tǒng)的封裝體積和重量減少了約15%。”
這套6合1智能電驅(qū)系統(tǒng)不要求額外安裝冷卻水循環(huán)管道或大型散熱器進(jìn)行冷卻。Rost稱：“我們采用內(nèi)置油冷系統(tǒng)，其中的電動油泵可將機(jī)油泵送至電機(jī)、變速箱和電力電子設(shè)備中。該系統(tǒng)具備完整的冷卻功能，可利用空氣輔助冷卻，無需安裝額外設(shè)備。”因?yàn)殡姍C(jī)和變速箱共用機(jī)油，所以冷卻液的流經(jīng)路徑需要設(shè)計(jì)成合適的形狀，“以避免機(jī)油受到污染并損壞組件。”Rost指出。
6合1 eDrive系統(tǒng)的輸出功率為80kW。Rost稱：“我們目前正在測試各組件的連續(xù)輸出功率。目前為止，測試結(jié)果比仿真結(jié)果更為理想。”該系統(tǒng)計(jì)劃于2026年開始生產(chǎn)，并首次應(yīng)用于一家中國汽車制造商的小型電動車。據(jù)Rost介紹，這套動力系統(tǒng)還可用作輔助電動車橋。Roast表示：“輔助車橋的功率一般較低，且在全驅(qū)汽車中的使用頻率也較低。因此，全驅(qū)汽車有時(shí)也可斷開輔助車橋，以節(jié)省旋轉(zhuǎn)阻力造成的電池電量損耗。
根據(jù)法雷奧動能系統(tǒng)事業(yè)部首席工程師Dominik Sporna介紹，除了編寫控制電動車不同熱模式的軟件代碼外，法雷奧工程師還開發(fā)了專用算法，從而在有效管理電池并維持最佳車內(nèi)舒適度的情況下，盡可能提高電動車在日常通勤中的能效。預(yù)先調(diào)整電池狀態(tài)是提高能效的一種途徑。Sporna解釋說：“預(yù)先調(diào)整電池狀態(tài)就是指在充電時(shí)留出一部分電量，并在出發(fā)前充滿。”他指出，這種方法可減少通勤期間使用的電量。
軟件算法可通過分析出發(fā)日期、天氣條件、交通狀況等信息來預(yù)先設(shè)定電池和座艙狀態(tài)。這種做法在極寒或極熱天氣出行時(shí)尤其必要。法雷奧全新熱管理算法Predict4Range目前正處于概念驗(yàn)證階段。Sporna 稱：“Predict4Rang算法是法雷奧標(biāo)準(zhǔn)軟件的附加功能，可進(jìn)一步提升電池?zé)峁芾硐到y(tǒng)的效率。相較于傳統(tǒng)控制系統(tǒng)，這套算法可延長24%的續(xù)航里程。”
Valeo Racer有望成為首款利用車輛周圍環(huán)境的實(shí)時(shí)畫面制作的電子游戲，并可讓乘客在車輛行駛過程中暢玩。游戲開發(fā)者Anthony Amos表示：“我們正從高級駕駛輔助系統(tǒng)（ADAS）傳感器、法雷奧攝像頭以及機(jī)器學(xué)習(xí)算法中提取數(shù)據(jù)，并將其整合到游戲中。我們能夠?qū)?shí)時(shí)視頻數(shù)據(jù)和真實(shí)世界的感知數(shù)據(jù)實(shí)時(shí)傳輸?shù)接螒蛑小?rdquo;
SAE在一次試駕活動中體驗(yàn)了Valeo Racer的賽車游戲。此次試駕于其它駕駛員、交通信號燈和建筑物并存的雙車道道路上進(jìn)行。玩家在移動設(shè)備上操控一輛賽車，沿著與試駕汽車相同的路線行駛，目的是收集金幣，并盡量避開懸浮的輪胎路障。Amos表示“許多車載游戲系統(tǒng)僅僅將信息娛樂系統(tǒng)作為泊車期間的游戲設(shè)備，但Valeo Racer能夠使乘客在汽車行駛過程中暢享游戲。Valeo不會直接向消費(fèi)者出售這款游戲，但最早可能于2025年在一款量產(chǎn)車上首次亮相。
法雷奧以靜態(tài)或動態(tài)的方式向我們展示了數(shù)十款產(chǎn)品。Shay表示：“我們都認(rèn)識到汽車行業(yè)正在經(jīng)歷重大變革。公司的戰(zhàn)略非常明確，那就是在支持汽車電氣化轉(zhuǎn)型的同時(shí)，盡可能在我們的業(yè)務(wù)范圍內(nèi)保持開放的態(tài)度，以支持整個(gè)行業(yè)的發(fā)展。”
New hardware and software code prepped for inside-out vehicle makeovers.
Whether it’s reinventing the vehicle cabin, repackaging power products, or writing new software code, Valeo is focused on smarter mobility technologies. “When you put it all together, you see that the building blocks are there to not only support the electrification transformation but actually to accelerate the transformation,” Valeo North America’s President Jeffrey Shay told SAE Media at the company’s recent Innovation Days event in September.
Technology specialists from the 101-year-old global supplier gave details on several in-production products and in-development technologies at the firm’s North American headquarters in Troy, Michigan. Here are a few highlights.
Immersive display
Valeo’s Panovision is a pillar-to-pillar infotainment and navigation immersive display comprised of three 15.9-in (404 mm), liquid crystal display screens. The three panels, which seamlessly appear as one in-dashboard screen, are illuminated from the backside. “There are no optics creating the projection, it’s just the mechanical location of the panels and a black stripe on the windscreen that’s coated to enhance the reflectivity,” said Valeo senior technology opto-electronics expert Gus McDonald. Typical windscreen reflectivity, McDonald said, is 15-20% compared to the Panovision’s 40% reflectivity.
Infotainment data appears to float approximately 4.9 ft (1.5 m) in front of the driver. “That distance is due to the optical path length of the reflection to the driver,” McDonald said. Panovision’s software code for controlling the dimming of the digital display’s 288 zones as well as how the backlight function is packaged were key tasks handled by Valeo engineers. “Valeo’s patented method of LED heat sink dissipates heat efficiently, minimizing the need for continuous active cooling,” McDonald said. Valeo’s Panovision is not yet in production.
Bundled power package
Valeo’s Smart eDrive 6-in-1 plug-and-play unit is three steps beyond today’s state-of-the-art 3-in-1 system that features a motor, gearbox, and inverter. The 6-in-1 power package adds an onboard charger, DC-DC converter, and power distribution unit. “By adding those electronics, we’re able to reduce the packaging and weight by approximately 15%,” said Jonathan Rost, customer chief engineer for the Valeo Power Division.
The 6-in-1 unit doesn’t require additional water lines or a larger radiator to cool it. “We have an internal oil cooling system, so there’s an electric oil pump that pumps oil through the motor, the gearbox and the power electronics. It’s all self-contained, and it’s cooled by the air,” Rost said. Because the motor and the gearbox share the same oil, appropriate flow geometry for the cooling fluid’s path was necessary “to make sure that the oil doesn’t become contaminated and then damage something,” Rost said.
Power output for the 6-in-1 eDrive is 80 kW. “We’re testing parts now for continuous power output, and so far, the result is more favorable than what was shown with simulations,” Rost said. The eDrive unit is slated to start production in 2026 for the first vehicle application, a Chinese automaker’s small electric car. According to Rost, the power unit could also be used as a secondary e-axle. “The secondary axle usually has less power and is used less often for all-wheel drive. It’s also sometimes possible to disconnect the secondary axle to save on battery electricity due to rotating drag losses,” Rost said.
Battery charging schedule
In addition to writing software code to control different electric vehicle thermal modes, Valeo engineers are developing algorithms to help maximize the energy efficiency of an electrified vehicle during a daily commute while maintaining optimal battery and cabin conditions, according to Dominik Sporna, chief engineer for the Valeo Power Division. One source of energy optimization is via pre-conditioning the battery. “We want to charge the battery but still leave a percentage of the charge to be done just before departure,” said Sporna, noting that pre-conditioning the battery can reduce the amount of energy used during a commute.
By taking into account information about the departure date, weather conditions, traffic and other factors, software algorithms become a conduit to the pre-conditioning of the battery and the vehicle cabin. This is especially relevant for travel on intensely cold or hot days. Valeo’s new thermal management algorithm, referred to as Predict4Range, is currently in the proof-of-concept stage. “This is an additional feature for our standard software, boosting even further the efficiency of the battery’s thermal management system, offering an up to 24% range increase compared to traditional control systems,” Sporna said.
Gaming on the road
Valeo Racer is expected to be the first video game to use live images of the vehicle’s surroundings and can be played while the vehicle is in motion. “We’re pulling in the data from ADAS (advanced driver assist system) sensors, Valeo cameras, and machine learning algorithms and incorporating that for game play. We’re able to stream real-time video data and real-world perception data to the game itself,” said Anthony Amos, the game’s developer.
SAE Media played Valeo Racer during a vehicle demonstration drive on a two-lane boulevard that included other motorists, traffic lights, and buildings. Played on a mobile device, players drove a race car along the same route as the demonstrator vehicle to collect gold coins and try to avoid hovering tires. “A lot of in-vehicle gaming systems are limited to treating the infotainment system as a gaming console while the vehicle is parked. With this system, passengers can enjoy the game during the drive,” Amos said. The game, which won’t be sold directly to consumers by Valeo, could debut in a production vehicle as early as 2025.
Dozens of Valeo products were shown as either static or dynamic displays. “We all recognize that the automotive industry is going through a significant transformation. Our strategy is, very simply, to support the electrification transformation while being as agnostic as we can with as much of our business as we can to support the whole industry,” Shay said.
法雷奧的Gus McDonald正坐在Panovision創(chuàng)新解決方案的示范平臺上。（法雷奧）
法雷奧的Jeffrey Shay指出，中國的電氣化進(jìn)程比其他國家更快。"Shay 說：“我們正在利用這一優(yōu)勢，幫助我們的客戶實(shí)現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)型。”（法雷奧）
Jonathan Rost與6合1設(shè)備（法雷奧）
法雷奧的Dominik Sporna談到了在電動車通勤前預(yù)調(diào)電池的價(jià)值。（法雷奧）