ARTC Again Wins High Honors at iENA Neuremberg 2011

The Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC), Taiwan's most important vehicle testing and R&D hub, once again proved its mettle by winning one of the world's most coveted invention awards at the 63rd iENA Nuremberg "Ideas-Inventions-New Products" trade fair, or iENA 2011.

At this event, the world's largest invention exhibition, inventors in the Taiwan delegation (including those from universities, high schools, enterprises, and government-sponsored research institutions) together won an eye-catching trove of medals: 26 golds, 45 silvers, 12 bronzes, and one special prize. This made the Taiwan delegation the group champion at the fair.

This year, the trade visitors who came to iENA from 41 nations were impressed with the almost 800 inventions and new products from 30 countries that were on show in the Nuremberg Exhibition Center. The many ideas on display, including some smart developments from young inventors, confirmed that people have been working on new products and solutions with much enthusiasm and a high level of technical understanding. The range of products that were presented to the public for the first time ranged from practical inventions for day-to-day use to developments in the high-tech field.

The iENA expert jury was impressed with the sophistication of the inventions and awarded a total of 120 gold medals, 176 silver medals, and 93 bronze medals. Special prizes were awarded for particularly outstanding inventions. The following medals were awarded in the individual categories: Independent inventors: 76 gold, 93 silver, 64 bronze; students/youths: 18 gold, 36 silver, 15 bronze; and Colleges/universities: 26 gold, 47 silver, 15 bronze.

Medals
ARTC took one gold medal and one silver, making it one of the very few participants to win the highest honors for three consecutive years. The two prize-winning technologies were an "Electric Vehicle Full-time Leakage Detection System" and "Intelligent information integration for screen display system".

Joe Huang, ARTC's president, says that he is very happy about the center's consistent winning of the highest honors for high-tech R&D and innovation in globally renowned competitions. In the past three years, he reports, ARTC has won four gold medals and two silver medals at iENA alone. "When our young and talented R&D personnel choose to concentrate on the development of a targeted advanced automotive system,” he explains, “they always kick off by thinking in terms of drivers' habits and viewpoints. That's why they can create so many outstanding R&D achievements that upgrade driving safety and comfort. A good technology innovation or invention can be achieved only by accessing people's lives and successfully applying new technologies."

With the rise of intelligent electronic systems, ARTC says, an increasing number of higher-end cars are now equipped with various onboard safety-aid systems such as front anti-collision systems, lane departure warning systems (LDWS), and reverse imaging systems. There is also a clear trend for drivers worldwide to install additional GPS navigation devices, digital video recorders (DVR), and electronic tolling devices on or near the dashboard. The advent in recent years of the heads-up display (HUD), which projects various kinds of information onto the windshield, allows drivers to watch what is going on in front while getting the needed information on the windshield.

Intelligent Information Integration for Screen Display Systems
ARTC's Gold Medal-winning "intelligent information integration for screen display system" is an even better choice for global drivers who want to upgrade their driving safety. So far, the center stresses, no other company in the world has come up with such an innovation.

According to ARTC, this system combines advanced multiple-image coordinate conversion technology and large virtual image display technology to superpose images from a vehicle's information system on the road scene to reduce parallax and eyestrain. Most existing products are single-path structures and their image is small, able to display only simple information. ARTC's system provides a "big picture display" with the following features:

1. Superposition on the road scene: Most existing products have a maximum display range of 2.5m and are unable to superimpose the image on the road scene. ARTC's new system, which combines Multiple-Image Coordinate Conversion Technology and Large Virtual Image Display Technology, superposes the image from the vehicle information system on the road scene.

2. Better visual comfort: This system can make the information image the same as the same as the road scene, reducing parallax and eyestrain and improving driving safety.

3. More information and better integration: This system has a multi-path structure, allowing the display range to be increased according to the number of optical paths. The virtual image covers the road scene to a width of four meters and a height of one meter. It can display driving information, forward collision warning, lane-keeping status, and other integrated information.

ARTC claims that this innovative system will be able, in the future, to integrate image auto-calibration technology. By detecting the driver's head and eyes, the system will be able to estimate the driver's view and correct superimposition error to maintain the quality of information and improve driving safety.

Full-time Leakage Detection System for Electric Vehicles
The "Electric Vehicle Full-time Leakage Detection System" won a Silver Medal at iENA. EVs use high-voltage DC (direct current) for their power, and passengers that are shocked by high-voltage leakage can be seriously injured. Therefore, ARTC stresses, a leakage detection system is very important.

ARTC's leakage detection system can measure insulation resistance and current leakage between the high-voltage power system and the chassis while idling or driving. If insulation resistance exceeds the safe value, the system will alert the driver and, in the absence of any response, will shut down the power system. Unlike other systems that operate only in the idle mode, the ARTC system, thanks to various circuits and algorithms, also operates in the driving mode to ensure passenger safety at all times.