DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE FUEL ECONOMY MEASUREMENT

The Tripmaster on-board instrumentation system is designed to obtain pertinent information on vehicle fuel economy under in-service conditions. Measuring and recording real-world vehicle operating and environmental conditions is becoming increasingly important in reducing fuel consumption and other operating costs. Component testing, chassis dynamometer testing, and computer simulation are among the many approaches employed to define vehicle characteristics. The collection of in-service information has been attempted previously but with poor results. The Tripmaster system, designed for use in the Department of Transportation/Society of Automotive Engineers fuel economy measurement study, was designed to develop measurement procedures and recommended practices, for use by original equipment manufacturers and vehicle operators, that reflect factors pertinent to fuel economy. In-service tests will be conducted by vehicle users during normal revenue-producing operations. Two pairs of Class 8 tractors with trailers and two pairs of Class 6 straight trucks have been donated for these tests. Each pair of trucks, a standards and a fuel efficient version, will be driven over the operator's usual route, hauling typical loads. Each of the eight trucks has been instrumented with the Tripmaster system which consists of on-board instrumentation computer, sensor set, and data monitoring display unit. A portable data link is incorporated to extract stored data and transcribe the information onto a magnetic tape cassette. Data acquisition, sensing, signal processing, data processing and display, and information output are detailed. Initial indications are that the Tripmaster system will gather the desired information on fuel economy.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01487191
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at SAE International Fuels and Lubricants Meeting, Toronto, 13-16 November 1978. See also HS-025 904U.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • Balban, M S
  • Williams, H O
• Publication Date: 1978

Media Info

• Pagination: 8 p.
• Serial:
  • SAE Technical Paper
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
  • ISSN: 0148-7191
  • EISSN: 2688-3627
  • Serial URL: http://papers.sae.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Fuel consumption; Information processing; Instrumentation; Measurement; Onboard navigational aids; Tractor trailer combinations; Trucks
• Old TRIS Terms: On board
• Subject Areas: Energy; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00399217
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAE 780959, HS-025 903U
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 31 1985 12:00AM