Determination of Vehicle Clutch Slippage using GPS Technology

During endurance tests on new prototypes, it is often observed that test drivers come back with some feed back on clutch slippage. This is a typical example of subjective evaluation and at times it is found that it is the test driver's perception rather than the actual clutch slippage. To over come this problem, a new method has been evolved which captures the clutch slippage automatically and quantify that to the minutest details. This is achieved using GPS based instrumentation and software for automatic detection. This system is part of intelligent control which using the GPS determines the actual speed of the vehicle and also acquires the engine speed through RPM sensor which is converted into vehicle speed. Using a dedicated software program, variation in actual speed and calculated speed provides the information on clutch slippage along with the gear shift pattern during test driving.