Abstract
KEYWORDS :
Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS), Automobiles, Cars, Reliability, Safety
ABSTRACT :
Micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) is the important component of mechatronics applications. MEMS are widely used in automobiles because of their ability to improve performance of the vehicle, reduce the cost and enhance the reliability of the passenger cars. From its first application, silicon accelerometer for an airbag crash sensor to till date around millions of MEMS devices are used in automobiles. It’s a cutting edge technology available with the engineers working in the area of automobiles. In the next five-to-seven years every car will run with MEMS and it will provide significant opportunities for large volume production of MEMS devices - whether it be in entirely new applications or in the replacement of traditional technologies. The major reasons are longer warranty periods (up to 10 years/150,000 miles) require increased reliability components, continuously developing federal and regional mandated fuel efficiency, emission and safety standards, higher vehicle performance and comfort, availability of low-cost microcontrollers, memory and displays, enhanced vehicle diagnostics. The typical application areas for MEMS in automobiles especially cars are antilock braking, vehicle dynamics, suspension, airbag actuation, seat occupancy, passenger position, object avoidance, navigation, road conditions etc. In this paper we will examine all these applications of MEMS in vehicle and their effect on the performance of vehicle and also an attempt is made to find out the possible growth opportunities associated.