Automotive Engineering - January/February 2021 - 11

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

FROM TOP L M-B; DANA INC.

According to Mercedes-Benz
CTO Sajjad Khan, the new
Hyperscreen system " is both the
brain and nervous system of the car. "

functions at the appropriate times. The context-sensitive algorithm is continuously optimized, both by changes in surroundings and user behavior, keeping the most relevant content visible
on the screen's " zero-layer, "  which is extensive thanks to the
Hyperscreen's acreage. 
  " We have invented a new interface that brings design and
technology together, " explained Gorden Wagener, chief design officer of the Daimler Group. " In addition to cool hardware, the content and handling are also crucial, i.e., what we
show on the screen unit and how it can be used by the customer. The most important and most-commonly used interactions can be operated on a single, top-level. You rarely have to
dive into submenus and thus shorten the interaction time. "  
 Mercedes-Benz research of its first-gen MBUX system
showed most use cases fall into navigation, radio/media and
phone categories, so the navigation application remains at the
center of the screen with full functionality. If relevant, more
than 20 other functions - from active massage to birthday reminders and to-do list suggestions - are offered automatically via artificial intelligence  " magic modules, "  which is the developer name for the suggestions shown on the zero-layer. 
 Two examples: If a user regularly uses both the heated
steering wheel and heated seat functions together, the system suggests enabling the heated steering wheel as soon as
the user turns on the heated seat; The system also remembers
the GPS position where the " raise vehicle "  function was engaged to gain more ground clearance (such as a steep driveway entrance), and as the vehicle approaches this location again it would suggest activating this function. 
  " It is connected to all components of the vehicle and communicates with them, "  Khan explained of the architecture.  " The goal was a concept without distraction of the driver
or creating complicated operation. And it had to be able to
learn thanks to artificial intelligence: We didn't want to build
the biggest screen ever in a car. Instead, we have developed
special screens with a perfect ratio of size and functionality
for maximum user-friendliness. "
Paul Seredynski

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

PROPULSION  

Dana's twin-clutch axle boosts
Ford Bronco Sport's off-road cred
Bandwidth is the Holy Grail of global vehicle development. Its
measure of success includes the ability to derive genuinely diverse products and even entire brands from a common set of
bones. There's also the vision to leverage key supplier technologies when model differentiation is needed. Case in point: Ford's
unibody C2 platform, the 2021 Bronco Sport, and Dana Inc. 
 Development of the all-new compact utility aimed at the
North American market kicked off six months after its
Escape/Kuga global cousin and progressed in parallel with
Ford's development of the larger, body-on-frame Bronco.
There was quite a bit of know-how sharing among the three
teams, explained Bronco Sport's veteran engineering manager Eddie Kahn, whose experience was honed on the firstgeneration F-150 Raptor program.  
  " We had no intention of making a 'soft roader,' because
the Bronco name brings higher expectations, " Kahn told
SAE's Automotive Engineering. " Our primary aim was to create an affordable vehicle that gives even novices confidence
over any terrain, with a 4x4 system that is easy to use. We
wanted balance: serious off-road capability to get you into
and out of extreme territory with confidence, along with onroad comfort, " he said. 
 Conveniently, the C2 architecture was designed to be super-flexible, for a broad range of products - " from a base
Escape to the Bronco Sport Badlands series [the most offroad-aggressive model] that can climb the Hell's Gate at
Moab, which we've done, " Kahn said. A shorter wheelbase,
wider track, increased ground clearance, reduced mass (by 20
kg/44 lb), suspension upgrades and 57/43 front/rear weight
distribution " allow the new vehicle to be extremely nimble
and agile on any terrain, including sand, " Kahn said.  

Housed in an A380 alloy case the AdvanTEK Ultra RDU features a low
offset that positions the pinion-gear centerline below that of the ring
gear, enabling the driveshaft to be situated lower in the vehicle.
January/February 2021 11
Automotive Engineering - January/February 2021

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