Automotive Archives - EN MSR Data loggers

MSR165 Data Logger Measuring G-Forces in Formula 1 Cars

For «Evil Science», the «meanest and toughest knowledge show of all times» according to the German private TV channel Pro7 MAXX, rock star Evil Jared Hasselhoff is confronting the most extreme g-forces. First of all, Jared is fulfilling a man’s dream – riding in a Formula 1 car. This takes place in Europe’s only Formula 1 two-seater, in France. An MSR165 acceleration data logger is used to measure which g-forces occur during this fast ride.

Watch the video of the tv station ProSieben: ProSieben Maxx – Das G-Kraft-Experiment

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Stadler Rail Using MSR Mini Data Loggers to Quantify Rail Transportation Comfort

MSR165 data logger for acceleration measurements

Authors: Dipl.-Ing. Karl Tillmetz (Stadler Bussnang AG), Dipl.-Ing. Claudia Kossmann (Stadler Altenrhein AG), Gabriela Zumkehr (MSR Electronics GmbH), Alan Lowne (Saelig Co. Inc.)

It doesn’t always need large and expensive instrumentation and data acquisition equipment to provide valuable assistance in making accurate driving performance tests for rail vehicles. Miniature data loggers can be just as useful tools for measuring comfort and driving – and more convenient too!

Nowadays, everyone wants better comfort, better safety, and better economy. In the case of rail vehicles, a manufacturer must balance the different requirements of operators, passengers and even legislators. This is indeed the case with Swiss railcar manufacturer Stadler Rail AG, which manufactures rail and tram transport systems. The company, with more than 6,000 employees, is also a leading manufacturer of rack rail vehicles. Stadler’s technical specialists are responsible for mobile measurements of vehicle dynamics on the equipment they manufacture. Two of their engineering experts, Dipl.-Ing. Karl Tillmetz (Bussnang factory) and Dipl.-Ing. Claudia Kossmann (Altenrhein factory) are responsible for the technically challenging investigations of both driving safety and passenger comfort. “For these tasks,” says engineer Tillmetz, “Stadler uses miniature battery-powered MSR165 data loggers with built-in 3-axis acceleration sensors.”

Comparing subjective ride comfort with measured data

Rather than subjective opinions of passengers, what is needed is repeatable hard data to give a quantitative indication of ride quality. Miniature, autonomous simple-to-use universal data loggers are commercially available that feature built-in highly sensitive sensors for a wide variety of parameters, and, being small, are convenient and unobtrusive to install. MSR Electronics GmbH (Switzerland) manufactures tiny lightweight loggers that can sense almost any physical and electrical measurement: temperature, humidity, pressure, brightness, vibrations, or other voltage-based sensor output values. Stadler Rail has used MSR’s data loggers in many different applications, such as for the investigation of sudden vibrations or other vibration phenomena in rail vehicle operation. According to Stadler’s engineers, the qualities of these data loggers – autonomous, self-powered, very small, very large memory – make them ideal for mobile vibration studies, and they can also be rapidly deployed for spontaneous measurements. These tiny data recorders can be installed quickly and unobtrusively, and provide fast set-up vibration monitoring that can quantify actual train riding comfort. “Passenger requirements for ride comfort, which is greatly affected by vibration behavior, have grown increasingly stringent in recent years,” said Tillmetz. “Our tests monitor three-axis acceleration on the vehicle floor, on the chassis, and in the center of the car with MSR data loggers, so we can provide objective measurements and thus give a numerical indication of ride comfort.”

Stadler’s experiments have detected vehicle vibrations in a frequency range of up to 100 Hz. The MSR data logger’s sampling rate was set to 400 Hz by test engineer Kossmann, but the MSR165 logger could be set for as many as 1600 measurements per second. The loggers were quickly mounted to the carpet floor base with spikes for data recording. While some of the test journeys were made at constant speeds at up to 200 km/h for short durations, it was found to be even more beneficial to take measurements over a period of several days. For data analysis, the engineers exported the logged data via a csv file into FAMOS™ measurement evaluation software. The program was set to filter the signals according to the European standard EN 12299 Driver Comfort (or UIC 513) and an evaluation was made using frequency analysis, statistics and target comparisons. Although ride comfort measurements were made by the Stadler team on existing operational rail stock, they are now able with these loggers to investigate prototype vehicle behavior and also to provide initial inspection data on production vehicles, ensuring that specified customer comfort values are verified.

Evaluation of dynamic driving stability

Vibration testing is also very relevant when it comes to assessing driving safety, verifying compliance with existing standards and guidelines such as EN 14363 or UIC 518, not only for initial registration applications, but even when modifications are made. Test Engineer Karl Tillmetz cites the example of Swiss customer MGB (Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn), whose 1990-era BDkt trolley-driving cars were needing modernization. The Stadler “refit” included folding steps, automatic couplers, a modernized driver’s cab and control system, and an exterior modification to match current MGB fleet design guidelines. In order to monitor the driving stability of the modified railway vehicles, test runs were carried out to sense the transverse acceleration of the chassis frame. Test Engineer Tillmetz fixed an MSR mini data logger – the size of a pack of chewing gum – to the chassis frame to make these measurements. Stadler Bussnang AG built the modifications to accommodate increased train speeds of up to 80 km/h, since the MGB vehicles had only been registered for speeds of up to 65 km/h. So, for this KOMET vehicle family, the driving stability must now be detected at up to 80 km/h with a +10 km/h margin. For these tests, Tillmetz and his colleagues turned again to the mini data loggers from MSR Electronics – the driving safety test itself being based on EN 14363. For the measurements, the logging frequency was again set to 400 Hz. Four loggers were fixed to the train’s chassis frame, in the wheel-set, and in mid-car body positions. Acceleration in the transverse direction was measured by the 15 g sensors at the chassis frame on all axles during 10-minute journeys over a period of about six hours during commuting travel. The test trips were made in between normally scheduled trains. The constant train speed measurements for the tests were at 60, 70, 80 and 90 km/h. Subsequently, the recorded data signals were then filtered by the FAMOS™ analysis software according to EN 14363 and evaluated using frequency analysis, statistics, and limit comparison criteria to form precise statements about the stability of the audited train.

New model variants: Developing for the future

According to Tillmetz and Kossmann, Stadler’s testing pushed the MSR data loggers to their limits. So the two engineers desired equipment with even more precise resolution for their measurement tasks. The 15 g sensor built into the MSR165 data loggers has an accuracy of ± 0.15 g with a resolution of 0.005 g. While this is sufficient for their applications in most cases, Kossmann thought that an accuracy of 0.003 g would be preferable. She could have specified a different type of MSR data logger – for instance, the MSR160 has four analog input channels for use with external custom sensors, to allow measurements exactly matching the desired measuring range of the sensors’ specifications. But since these sensors would have to be mounted externally, they would not be entirely suitable for most Stadler applications. According to MSR Electronics GmbH’s CEO Wendelin Egli, the 15 g measurement range of the MSR165 data logger design was because the logger was targeted at shock measurements. However, because of high demand for applications in the field of transport monitoring, MSR has now expanded the range of its available internal sensors up to 200 g, so stronger shock events with significantly greater forces can thus be recorded.

But what about logger variants with a smaller range? “Yes, we can do that!” says MSR’s Egli. “Vibration measurements with different measurement variants are an area in which we continue to expand.” Since the MSR165 data logger is well established in the marketplace, he frequently gets requests from different fields of application and he sees many other potential application opportunities. “Our data loggers are designed for a niche market,” said Egli, “but our entrepreneurial success means that, being close to our customers, we can better meet their custom requirements more effectively and faster than larger companies who are focused on the broader marketplace. If our customers want sensors with a different range, then we do our utmost to meet these desires.” Stadler, for one, would welcome an MSR165 with a sensor with a smaller range. For now, as Kossmann and Tillmetz state, they use the existing MSR165 data logger with 15 g sensor because “it allows us quick and accurate statements as well as uncomplicated and time-efficient measurements, and at a reasonable cost.”

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Wireless Data Loggers Support Climatic Measurements in Trams

The use of MSR385WD data loggers can help to save energy

Whether bus, tram or train: By reducing the temperature in the passenger compartment by just a few degrees, we can significantly lower the heating costs in local public transport. In order to substantiate this scientifically, the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil is determining the electricity requirement for heating the passenger compartment – by means of small wireless data loggers of the type MSR385WD.

Author: Sven Strebel, research assistant in the ‘Renewable Energies’ research group, Zurich University of Applied Sciences. The article below was published in the German ‘messtec drives Automation’ trade journal, Sonderheft traffic (traffic special edition) 03/2018.

Electric trains can save electricity – both through energy-efficient vehicles and facilities (for example track systems, security systems, railway stations) and through innovative train operation, using modern traction systems. The modernisation of the vehicle fleet, the recuperation of braking energy and energy-efficient driving reduce the energy consumption. Whilst improvements in the efficiency of traction power have been implemented in recent years, the saving potential for the supply of compartment heating, in particular for existing vehicle fleets, is not yet exhausted.

Great savings potential for electric local passenger transport

In public transport, passengers spend a relatively short period of time inside the vehicle; therefore we can assume that they keep their clothing on that is adapted to the weather. Great differences in temperature between the indoor and outdoor climate are therefore likely to have a negative impact on the thermal comfort of the passengers, while resulting in a high degree of energy demand. This is particularly the case when, in order to supply the required compartment heating, electrically powered vehicles in public transport use conventional resistance heaters which have not been used for some time in buildings and flats (electric “night storage heaters”) for reasons of efficiency. In addition, due to their relatively compact design, local public transport vehicles have a relatively poor insulation value when compared to buildings; therefore a high thermal output is required to heat the passenger compartment.

By lowering the indoor temperature in trams, it might be possible to save energy without a major loss of comfort, which is in part due to the short duration of stay. This is crucial to the extent that different studies relating to this show that the energy requirement for heating electric vehicles accounts for between 10 and 50 percent of the overall energy demand.

Within the scope of a Master’s thesis for the degree course MSE (Master of Sciences in Engineering) at the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil, the specific heating energy requirement of a «Cobra Tram» of the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (public transport operator in Zurich) was examined during winter operation. To this end, the electricity requirement for heating the passenger compartment during regular tram operation, the solar heat input through the windows, the waste heat from passengers and devices, as well as the difference in temperature between the passenger compartment and the environment was examined.

Data logger with wireless sensors for wireless climatic measurement

For measuring the indoor climate, a compromise had to be found in order to measure the air temperature of the relevant areas (seating and standing area), yet attach the sensors in such a way that they can be neither manipulated nor removed during operation. Furthermore, the different areas in the interior of the tram (foot and head section, proximity to door, etc.) as well as the five compartment sections must be taken into consideration; therefore the measuring points have to be distributed across the entire vehicle.

Small sensor modules and data loggers, which are manufactured by the Swiss measuring technology company MSR Electronics GmbH and which are already proving successful in a range of applications in the industry, traffic, logistics and machine segment, have contributed significantly to the measurements required for this.

As wiring traditional temperature sensors in the interior would have involved a huge amount of time and effort, wireless temperature sensors with a transmitter module of the type MSR385SM and a wireless data logger of the MSR385WD series produced by this company were used. A total of 20 sensors were distributed across the vehicle; the central wireless data logger was installed in the centre of the tram and, by means of its mobile network router, the data was uploaded to the MSR cloud. The sensors were self-sufficiently supplied with power by batteries. To supplement the measurements, an air temperature sensor and several solar radiation sensors were attached to the roof of the vehicle in order to record the outdoor temperature and the solar radiation impacting on the window surfaces.

The small size of the temperature sensor module, the sufficiently long duration of autonomous operation with the installed battery and the easy configuration and monitoring of the measured values by means of the cloud solution by MSR were ultimately the deciding criteria in favour of the all-in-one system offered by this company.

From sensor module to the cloud

The MSR385WD wireless data logger can be used to permanently record temperature, humidity and pressure at different measuring points and at operating temperatures ranging from -20 °C to +125 °C and to monitor them, wherever you are. These features make this logger the ideal choice for the task in the tram. The data logger has an integrated 868 MHz ISM band receiver module, which receives data from up to ten MSR385SM sensor transmitter modules and records them. These transmitter modules record temperature profiles, humidity and pressure by means of sensors and send the measured values to the data logger in the ISM band, which can be used without a licence. Depending on the frequency of the measurements and radio transmissions, the power supply to the transmitter modules is warranted for up to five years. Due to their thermal resistance, the transmitter modules – depending on the type of case – facilitate metrological applications even at high operating temperatures of up to +125 °C; however, this was not required in this case. The measuring and transmission intervals of the transmitter modules can be adjusted as follows: 1 s, 10 s, 1 min, 15 min, 1 h. Depending on the type of case selected, the transmitter modules are supplied with power either by means of a rechargeable 260 mAh lithium-polymer battery or an 800 mAh Li-SOCl2 battery. The optimised power management ensures that – depending on the frequency of measurements and radio transmissions – the power supply to the miniature transmitter modules is warranted for up to five years. Equipped with the smallest type of case, such a compact transmitter module weighs approximately 25 g and measures just 35 x 55 x 25 mm externally. Therefore, it can be positioned even in inaccessible locations, as in this case. An integrated flash memory safeguards the data security in the event of a power failure.

The measurement trends of the transmitter modules recorded by the data logger can be read out via a USB interface and processed further using the MSR PC software for data analysis purposes. In addition, a GSM module facilitates the connection of the MSR385WD to the «MSR SmartCloud», a web-based service for mobile data monitoring by MSR Electronics. The wireless data logger is equipped with a colour OLED display to instantly view the data. The high screen resolution facilitates easy reading of measured values, even in total darkness and from virtually any viewing angle.

Meaningful results

The primary purpose of the measurements was to derive energy-saving potential. In this context, the chart shown here illustrates the development of the indoor temperature of the tram, the outdoor air temperature and the average air temperature above the metropolitan area of Zurich, recorded by the sensors and loggers across the investigation period of more than two months.

In addition, another chart shows the heat input from the different heat sources (heating, solar input through windows, etc.) per day during the investigation period. Please note that the data is not standardised and depends on the period of use of the tram on the respective day. On days with a very low heat input (< 50 kWh/day), the vehicle is not in proper operation. This representation shows that the largest percentage of heat input is due to the electric heating. Depending on the use of the tram and the ambient temperature, it measures between 100 and 800 kWh per day per tram. By way of comparison, the average electricity requirement of a typical 2-person household is around 4500 kWh per year.

Based on these climatic measurements, the annual heating energy requirement can be estimated at approximately 72 MWh for a Cobra Tram. A reduction of the indoor temperature by 2 degrees Celsius would already accomplish savings of approximately 25 percent. Assuming that the entire electrically operated vehicle fleet of the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (public transport operator in Zurich) has the same specific thermal energy requirement, this would result in savings of approximately 3.3 GWh annually. This corresponds to the electricity requirement of around 730 single-family homes. In contrast to other measures, such as the optimisation of the insulation or the installation of more efficient heaters, a reduction of the indoor temperature is a relatively simple measure for reducing the energy requirement, both from a technical and financial perspective.