It is a great challenge to apply a diagnostic system to engine test beds. The main problem is that such test beds involve frequent configuration changes. Therefore, the diagnostic system must be highly adaptable. A modular toolbox-based approach combines physics-based and data-driven modeling concepts and, thus, enables highly flexible application. Adaptability and detection quality are validated using measurement data from a single-cylinder engine and a multicylinder engine.

The selective catalytic reduction, an after-treatment method using diesel exhaust fluid (AdBlue), is needed to reduce the emissions of diesel combustion processes. It is crucial to monitor the diesel exhaust fluid. This article presents a platinum thin-film sensor using the 3-omega method to characterize the diesel exhaust fluid. The information about the concentration of urea in water can be extracted. The results show that this sensor can determine the urea content to within 1 % by weight.

Future vehicle safety systems based on forward-looking sensors require a very robust validation system. This study describes such a validation sensor system and an algorithm to trigger safety systems in a crash. The presented sensor concept can detect the first contact and estimate the position of impact and the overlap in the initial few milliseconds of crash. The results highlight the temporal advantage of such a sensor over the present systems.

This work describes the development of an optical measurement system for accurate quantification of methane (the main component of compressed natural gas) densities in gas flows based on broadband absorption of infrared light. Using various test environments we validate accuracy and precision of the quantification method. We show that our measurement system can serve as a tool for the development of modern, CO₂ saving internal combustion engines reducing environmental impact of transportation.

Completeness checking of constructional steel structures with several hundred weld-on parts still represents a great challenge. By the use of 3-D scanners, it is possible to obtain sufficiently comprehensive information about the actual configuration (as-is state). By using an adapted algorithm for post-processing of the resulting point clouds, difference figures are superimposed over the respective 3-D model as the target state. The difference figures signal the missing parts.