Fords, now with lasers!

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: hone eagle
The disscussion on BON said they were using fiberoptics?


I got that from the article.

Like I said, it's got to be a more expensive way to address the issue, and probably no more reliable.

The special Fibre cable that plugs into your cylinder head and the laser module probably cost more than a COP and plug or coil, wire and plug.

I like the idea of more reliable, more efficient and better emissions. I'm not convinced this is a technology that I want to be part of the early adopter crowd.

 

[wapacz]

It could always go in the cab. Its not like it would be hard to route 4 to 6 fibers through the firewall.

 

[javacontour]

That would help with the environment. Service might be MORE difficult if the fibre got cut, was damaged.

We bury fibre now. However, I don't think fibre is exposed to the rapid temperature cycling one would experience under the hood. Ditto for vibration.

I'm not saying it couldn't be done. It's just not going to be the fibre that is used in your data center, or by the phone company.

How long until they get it to be as reliable or more than modern spark plug wires? Then how long after that until the cost is comparable?

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
Ask any Sun engineer about GBICs


I'd be more interested in asking Tellabs engineers about ONTs. (These are the boxes that Verizon deploys for FIOS--supposedly they are reliable).

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: javacontour

I'm not saying it couldn't be done. It's just not going to be the fibre that is used in your data center, or by the phone company.


Assuming that Ford manages to use proper materials for the engine heat, that won't be a problem. Vibration shouldn't be a problem either, consider that fiber optics are installed in places where they bend and flex every time the wind blows, a lot more than you'd expect them to bend and flex in an engine compartment due to vibration.

 

[hone eagle]

Some of the Ford guys on that forum think its as likely as electric valves,and they have been promised since the '90s

 

[Ben99GT]

It'll have to pass the durablity tests, so if it sees production you can bet it will have been thoroughly tested.

 

[Dualie]

Originally Posted By: Ben99GT
It'll have to pass the durablity tests, so if it sees production you can bet it will have been thoroughly tested.



Like the 6.0L And 6.4L diesels


sorry i had to.


hanging head in shame

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Dualie
Originally Posted By: Ben99GT
It'll have to pass the durablity tests, so if it sees production you can bet it will have been thoroughly tested.



Like the 6.0L And 6.4L diesels


sorry i had to.


hanging head in shame


Both produced by International.

VT365 and Maxxforce 7.

 

[Shannow]

I think I saw something similar in an old science/mechanix mag a few decades ago...predated common use of fibre-optics.

I like the concept.

If you can get combustion going at multiple points across the CC, you reduce the chance of end gas auto-ignition, can reduce the amount of advance, improving pumping losses etc.

The ability to "read" the fuel with reflected light is an interesting sidelight.

If it works and is reliable, it's a good thing.

I'd guess that deposits on the fibre-optic end/lens may be a problem, but would imagine that if the laser can ignite fuel, then it's probably strong enough to light off any carbon deposits on the lens...and it IS firing 25-50 cycles per second at the deposits.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Originally Posted By: brianl703
I remember when CD players first came out everyone thought that the laser would eventually fail.

Have you EVER heard of a laser failure in a CD player?


No, but last time I checked, the lasers in my music and video machines weren't being exposed to several hundred bursts of burning gasoline every second or so...

I remember when people were saying that Toyota's batteries would never last in the duty cycle of an automobile.

 

[Gary Allan]

Great ..and I bet they go the "coil pack" method for refits. If one of your laser igniters goes bad ..it's all of them (did they spec two guns per cylinder for a "controlled detonation" as we advance beyond the normal smooth flash of the uniform expanding flame front??

I think that they used lasers to create colliding and fragmented flame fronts back in the 70's.

 

[labman]

I think the early electronic ignitions failed often and many mechanics didn't know how to fix them. I forget who said they didn't want to be an early adopter on them. Often being an early adopter is an adventure with anything.

 

[StevieC]

Very cool article... I have sent it to my brother who is working in MIT's engine efficiency lab to get his take on it.

He is currently working on a Ford/Volvo engine and has achieved great success in tweaking its efficiency.

 

[Kestas]

The concept is interesting. On a practical note, I'm worried about how the auto manufacturers will execute such a technology for the consumer. You gotta know they're going to build it as cheaply as possible.

I'm afraid that they're going to take a rather reliable system of plugs and wires and make it more complicated than necessary. They've already done this to many of the engine functions. How will one diagnose the system and check for spark (or equivalent)? How much will it cost to repair the system when it goes bad?

 

[hone eagle]

The auto manufacturers farm the research out,holding their feet to the fire to make it work reliably,then chop them on price year after year until the work goes to the lowest cost country, By then everybody has it .

 

[Kestas]

hone eagle, your post shows an incredibly keen and accurate understanding of how the auto industry works.

 

[badtlc]

Good for Ford. Every part of the car should be questioned and looked at for advancement and improvement. There are always skeptics, though.

 

[Ben99GT]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Dualie
Originally Posted By: Ben99GT
It'll have to pass the durablity tests, so if it sees production you can bet it will have been thoroughly tested.



Like the 6.0L And 6.4L diesels


sorry i had to.


hanging head in shame


Both produced by International.

VT365 and Maxxforce 7.


Yep, there's a reason Ford decided to go in-house for the next diesel.

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
Good for Ford. Every part of the car should be questioned and looked at for advancement and improvement. There are always skeptics, though.


What you call skepticism, I call caution due to prior experience.

I've lived through:

1. Mid-1970's emissions. The Chrysler Lean Burn system, as well as their first attempts at an electronic ignition.

2. Early GM TBI fuel injection systems, when my mom's brand new Buick wouldn't start because of a failed sensor, day two of ownership.

3. Firestone 500 tires, Firestone's early adoption of radial tire technology for the consumer.

I can probably think of some others, but that's a good start for now.

I'm not a fan of being an early adopter for those reasons, not mention all of my early adopter experiences in IT.