12/14/95

Mitch Emmons (emmonmb@mail.auburn.edu)

AU ASSISTED IN DEVELOPMENT OF CHRYSLER ENGINE CONTROLLERS

AUBURN -- Chrysler Corp. has begun installing in its popular new Jeep models microelectronic engine controllers that were developed through a partnership with Auburn University.

"It's in production now in all new Jeep trucks," said Wayne Johnson, an associate professor in Auburn's Department of Electrical Engineering and acting director of the Center for the Commercial Development of Space and Advanced Electronics.

AU assisted in the development of the power board for the controller, which is being assembled and installed in the 1996 model Jeeps at a Chrysler plant in Huntsville, says Johnson.

Auburn researchers are continuing to work with Chrysler on this and related projects.

"We're looking at evaluating improved technologies for engine controllers," Johnson says. "We're also evaluating and providing the data they need for designing a new generation of product."

The controllers are based on a silicon microchip technology that Auburn researchers have been testing for the automotive and aerospace industries. The chips can operate in hotter environments, making them more efficient in regulating engine performance than the "under-the-hood" components used by other carmakers. They also can be packaged in more compact units.

Chrysler will begin using the components in all of its cars and trucks by 1998, says John Evans of Chrysler Electronics Advanced Technology Group in Huntsville.

If the controller -- which essentially is a small computer -- malfunctions, a mechanic can easily make the repair by plugging the unit into a diagnostic computer, says Evans. The problem is quickly traced, and the faulty unit is replaced much like replacing a bad electronics board in a personal computer.

Evans called Chrysler's association with Auburn "unique," adding, "We have design and development engineers, but by using Auburn for much of our research and development, we have been able to progress faster with this technology than we would have otherwise. Auburn's expertise also has enabled us to predict reliability problems with these components and help us to develop a reliable product sooner."

dec95:AU-jeep

CONTACT: Johnson, 334/844-1880; Evans, 205/464- 2674.