Automotive Engineering - June 2021 - 6

TECHNOLOGY
REPORT
TESTING
Digitizing that new-car smell
SAE INTERNATIONAL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jeff Hemphill
President
Todd Zarfos
2020 President
Srinivasa (Sri) Srinath, Ph.D
2022 President Elect
Susan Ying, Ph.D
Vice President - Aerospace
Ken Washington, Ph.D
Vice President - Automotive
Michael Weinert
Vice President -
Commercial Vehicle
Andrew Jeffers
Treasurer
David L. Schutt, Ph.D
Chief Executive Officer
Digitizing olfaction could help engineers and suppliers with the speed and consistency of developing pleasing
automotive interiors.
The problem with " new-car " smells is the subjectivity
of the sense. Nothing chafes at engineers
more than subjectivity, which can wreak
havoc in validation testing for both OEMs and
suppliers. To vet the bouquet of materials in
vehicle interiors, lab testing is most often augmented
by panels of trained human noses,
which judge the different components and the
completed vehicle. At SAE International's WCX
2021 conference in April, French odor analysis
specialist Aryballe, in collaboration with Asahi
Kasei Plastics North America and the Digital
Olfaction Automotive Consortium (DOAC),
presented on a pathway to digitize and objectively
rate automotive scents.
When it comes to vehicle aromas, there is
no global industry standard, explained Etienne
Bultel, a development engineer at Aryballe responsible
for designing and testing digital olfactory
solutions. Each OEM has its own testing
protocols, rating scales and methods he noted,
and neither SAE, ISO nor Germany's VDA has
yet managed to craft a global metric. The absence
of " unified quantitative norms, " according
to Bultel, " leads to increased costs and timing
for suppliers, lab-to-lab variations in results
and ultimately longer development times for
the OEMs. "
6 June 2021
The electronic nose
The solution, obviously, is to quantize vehicle
aromas. In his WCX presentation, Bultel advocated
that, " the advances in sensors, biochemistry
and machine learning, odor detection and
classification can be achieved with the use of a
digital olfaction device, or 'electronic nose.' "
Bultel claims the system he's helped develop at
Aryballe can identify different plastic types,
differentiate between compound variants of
the same material and detect odors in the automotive
domain based on the current ISO
12219-7 and VDA 270 standards.
What makes much of this work so challenging,
Bultel noted, is odor testing involves human
sensory and perception systems tied to
subjective feelings, and no two people react
the same way. " Odors may be tied to an experience
or memory, good or bad, " he said, noting
that there are differences across regions
and cultures of what is considered ideal.
Neutral odor may be desired by certain OEMs
but not others.
" Finally, some questions are also behind the
fact that all the process steps in the manufacturing
can contribute, " he added. " Sometimes
it's hard to put a finger on it and say, 'Okay, this
is the part that triggers an odor inside of my
Gregory L. Bradley, Esq.
Secretary
Pascal Joly
Jeff Varick
Rhonda Walthall
Joan Wills
SAE International Sections
SAE International Sections are local
units comprised of 100 or more SAE
International Members in a defined
technical or geographic area. The purpose
of local Sections is to meet the technical,
developmental, and personal needs of the
SAE Members in a given area. For more
information, please visit sae.org/sections
or contact SAE Member Relations Specialist
Abby Hartman at abby.hartman@sae.org.
SAE International
Collegiate Chapters
Collegiate Chapters are a way for SAE
International Student Members to get
together on their campus and develop
skills in a student-run and -elected
environment. Student Members are vital
to the continued success and future of
SAE. While your course work teaches
you the engineering knowledge you
need, participation in your SAE Collegiate
Chapter can develop or enhance other
important skills, including leadership,
time management, project management,
communications, organization, planning,
delegation, budgeting, and finance. For
more information, please visit students.
sae.org/chapters/collegiate/ or contact
SAE Member Relations Specialist Abby
Hartman at abby.hartman@sae.org.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
JEEP

https://www.sae.org/participate/membership/sections https://www.sae.org/participate/membership/collegiate-chapters

Automotive Engineering - June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive Engineering - June 2021