Jason Gee Writ 2E Hochstetler 10/26/06

Microprocessors in Cars: Microscopic Size, Macroscopic Safety and Environmental Impact on Society

Despite their microscopic size, modern microprocessors in cars have an enormous capacity to save time, fuel, and most importantly, lives. The incorporation of the microprocessor into the automobile began in 1970 with Motorolas creation of a computer chip to record the distance a car traveled for a particular trip. Since then, automotive engineers have broadened the influence of the microprocessor to nearly every aspect of a cars performance (Gordon, 53). In most modern cars, microprocessors typically assemble an extensive system of fifty-plus mini-computers that control suspension, fuel injection, pollution emissions, airbags, and many more components critical to the effective and safe operation of a car. The advent of the microprocessor to the car has contributed to the evolving safety standards of car companies and the government, an increase in fuel economy and environmental protection, and the incorporation of various comfort and convenience features that change the way society uses cars. The most profound impact that microprocessors in cars have had on society is through new safety benefits stemming from innovations such as the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and airbags that come standard in cars in todays market. Before the invention of the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and the ABS in 1978, drivers were not afforded the luxury of being able to simply slam on the breaks when forced to 1

immediately stop on a slippery surface. This was because prior the ABS, traditional hydraulic breaks would lock up and the car would skid or spin out of control. First produced in 1978, the ABS consists of one central electronic unit that monitors four sensors on each tire. The electronic unit measures the rotation of each of the tires and, by rapidly alternating the amount of pressure in a cars brake lines, the device is able to decelerate the car as much as possible without locking the breaks. Therefore in an emergency situation a driver has the power to both stop faster and maneuver while breaking, providing more time and control to save them from a potentially dangerous or life threatening accident. Since anti-lock breaking systems became standard on all vehicles in 1986, they have helped save thousands of lives and accidents across the United States. Recent studies by Daimler-Chrysler, Toyota, and the University of Minnesota estimated that the ABS mechanism itself could positively influence as much as 25% to 43% of rollover crashes in the U.S. (National Center for Statistics and Analysis [NCSA], 2002), which is an estimated 2,100 lives per year in rollover accidents alone. Some people, though, criticize the system on the basis that an alert and skilled driver should theoretically be able to match its effectiveness by pumping the breaks. However, tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) indicate that even professional drivers can't stop as quickly without ABS as an average driver can with ABS (NHSTA, 1996). Even though this innovation has just begun to make an impact on personal safety in cars, the NHSTA has set precedent by speedily moving to make the ABS and ESC standard on every car by 2008; a process that usually takes decades to complete. Another innovation that has dramatically enhanced the safety of passenger and driver is the airbag. Originally developed in 1978 as an alternative protection to wearing

the seatbelt, airbags have evolved to protect the driver and front seat passenger from head-on and, most recently, side collisions by employing the use of a cushioning airbag. Modern airbag systems typically consist of several microprocessors located at the front of the vehicle and/or passenger compartment that measure deceleration, and relay this data to the central diagnostic unit that determines when to deploy the airbag. Old fashioned airbags, such as those in the 1980s Chrysler and Ford models were simply activated by forces generated by a collision. In the last decade, though, these sensors have evolved to be capable of measuring the appropriate level of power with which the airbag is deployed based on an occupants size, seat position, seat belt use, and crash severity (Bellis, pg. 1). By protecting the passenger and driver from contact with the body of the automobile and also by distributing the force of collision, airbags significantly reduce the risk of serious injury. Although airbags are not a safety component that drivers and passengers interact with on day to day basis, the solid line of security they provide has saved tens of thousands of lives. Frontal airbags alone are estimated to have saved 13,967 lives from 1987 to 2003 (NHSTA, 1996). The fact that airbags have been increasingly subject to governmental regulation, and have been required to be in cars by the federal government since the 1998 model year, show that the airbag is greatly effective in preventing injury and death in automobile accidents. Besides the safety benefits that microprocessors provide passengers and drivers, new devise run by microprocessors have been designed to effectively reduce the omission of greenhouse gasses from the roughly 590 million passenger cars worldwide. Before the microprocessor, it was possible for a car company could build a car without microprocessors (Bellis, pg. 1). However, due to recently increasing societal and

political standards from organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, new air/fuel ratios must be monitored to achieve the desired engine performance, emissions, drivability, and fuel economy standards shaped by the government and the buyer/consumer (Wikipedia). These increased standards can be seen in almost every aspect of the car, but especially in toxicity-reducing devices like the catalytic converter and fuel injection systems. Although the catalytic converter itself operates by chemical reaction and does not need a computer to function, it uses microprocessors to monitor the air to fuel ratios needed to achieve maximal performance. Similarly, fuel injection systems are monitored to maintain the lowest amount of fuel per cylinder possible for engine operation. Most performance-enhancing devices like the catalytic converter and fuel injection are run by the Engine Control Unit (ECU), which manages the emissions and fuel economy of the car. Typically a very high powered microprocessor, the ECU gathers readings from dozens of sensors and uses data such as the coolant temperature to the amount of oxygen in exhaust emissions to perform millions of calculations each second to perform important duties, such as to decide on the best spark timing and [determine] how long the fuel injector is open (Nice, pg. 1). All of these systems are operated by a central microprocessor that is able to calculate thousands of algorithms and look at tables to determine the correct amounts of fuel needed to power and start the engine. Unlike its predecessor the carburetor, the fuel injection systems powered by the ECU and are able to efficiently manage the various components involved in supplying fuel to the engine. The results of these systems are lower toxic emissions and better gas mileage, which holds huge benefits for the consumer and the environment.

New and improved innovations to the modern car have brought about both positive and negative changes in which the average driver can use and maintain their car. Devices such as on-board displays can tell the driver when their car needs professional attention by providing statistics from the diagnostic tests performed by the ECU. This technology, however, makes it very difficult for even the most experienced technicians to work on their cars. According to analysts at Cars.com, the increasingly complex systems of microprocessors involved in each part of the car are resulting in increased American expenditure on service for their cars (Rosenberg pg. 1). In addition to complex interior modifications, car manufacturers have also begun to implement global positioning systems (GPS) in many new cars, providing a driver with quick and accurate directions while on the road. The GPS itself is based on a high powered central microprocessor that receives signals from three satellites at a time, and is responsible for triangulating distances in order to determine the users position. Global positioning systems are often supplemented with automated verbal directions from the computer, and are effective in reducing confusion on the road and protecting lives. The major benefits provided by these new technologies are the increasing usability and convenience of the automobile, which is greatly helping to supplement transportation in our society. Throughout the last few decades, the microprocessor has entirely changed the way society views and operates cars by saving lives, helping the environment, and making the car a simpler instrument to operate. In a short period of time microprocessors have revolutionized a mode of human transportation vital to individual progress and success in society, and these changes are sure to be supplemented by increased efficiency and even more additions in the future. From both increasing government standards to the desires and necessities of society, the microprocessor will be a vital tool to both controlling the

severity of the greenhouse gas situation and protecting the wallet of the American consumer.