Delphi helps upgrade military equipment to diagnose problems; enable mechanics
to make repairs more quickly
TROY, Mich., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- A suite of Delphi's products is
preparing to enhance the way military vehicles and their electronic systems
communicate. Teams of Delphi engineers are installing customized electronic
sensing and monitoring systems onto a test fleet of Light Armored Vehicles
(LAVs) used by the United States Marine Corps.
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While this kind of capability is typical in new cars built today, it is
not the case when it comes to this 14-ton military vehicle. The LAV upgrade
provides systems that monitor, record and communicate state-of-health and
diagnostics information. Access to this information allows users and
mechanics to more accurately and quickly determine what is wrong and how to
fix it -- which could mean major time savings for Marines.
"We are adapting and modifying what we know about integrated electronic
systems in the automotive industry, in order to advance the LAV for the
military," said Ben Johnson, director of product management, Delphi Product &
Service Solutions. "We are introducing leading-edge technology into a rigorous
military environment, a world of highly advanced weapons systems with the need
for integration and global communications."
The customized Delphi systems are currently being installed on 10 LAVs to
verify their viability in this highly rugged military vehicle. Each LAV will
include a Control Module, a network of on-board sensors, associated wiring
harnesses and built-in diagnostics. This system will feed data to a customized
version of Delphi's DS800 Diagnostic System to help determine where a problem
lies within the system's electronic architecture.
"Our ability to provide an 'end-to-end' option -- from acquiring the data
to resolving the problem -- is what Delphi wants to provide to the military,"
said Johnson. "We believe when these first 10 LAVs are fully equipped, that
the results will be so beneficial to the military, that the Marines will ask
Delphi to customize the electrical systems of their entire fleet of 700 around
the world."
With the cost of each LAV being about $1 million, Delphi creates an
opportunity for cost savings for the military. Specifically, the upgrades will
increase the up-time readiness and extend the life of the platform instead of
requiring the entire LAV to be replaced.
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is managing this
collaboration between Delphi and the Marines, as part of its initiative of
Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM).
"Delphi has been an essential teammate in this effort from its early
inception. Having worked closely with the Delphi team on the LAV Sense &
Respond project, they have repeatedly proved their worth as a trusted
collaborator, and as such have shown an impressive grasp of our intended
direction and future vision for the LAV," said Mark Gerhard, U.S. Marine Corps
logistic management specialist for the program manager's office, Light Armored
Vehicles. "With fastidious attention to detail and the unflagging perseverance
of the engineers and integrators at Delphi, the USMC Light Armored Vehicle is
perched to regain its claim to supremacy on the battlefield in the
reconnaissance environment. The real world mission impact of what Delphi is
doing for the Marines is tremendous, and the cost savings involved with this
should put a smile on every U.S. taxpayer's face."
By using a satellite interface, information from the LAV can be conveyed
remotely to the fleet manager. System Engineers can compile the data collected
from multiple LAVs and analyze and correlate data acquired over time across
the entire fleet, which may help in identifying ongoing problems on the
platform. With the extensive detail involved, it not only allows diagnosis of
a current problem, but may eventually lead to identifying a potential problem
before it becomes more serious.
The customized Delphi systems will continue to be installed and tested
throughout 2006. With the successful completion of this project, the military
will evaluate the possibility of equipping the entire fleet of 700 LAVs with
Delphi technology.
For more information about Delphi (Pink Sheets: DPHIQ), visit
http://www.delphi.com.
For more information about NCMS visit http://www.ncms.org.
SOURCE Delphi Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.delphi.com/media
http://www.ncms.org
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020315/DEF002LOGO PRN Photo
Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Mary McCahon, +1-248-813-2618, or
mary.mccahon@delphi.com, or Beth Walker, +1-248-813-2482, or
beth.walker@delphi.com, both of Delphi Corporation
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