[UCI-CalIT2] Seminar on the Successful Commercialization of a Quartz Rate Sensor Technology for the Automotive and Defense Industries

[Shellie Nazarenus]

Full Circle Commercialization of a Dual-Use Micromachined Quartz Rate
Sensor Technology

featuring

Dr. Asad M. Madni, BEI Technologies, Inc.

Thursday,  May 27, 2004 at 3 p.m.

McDonnell Douglas Engineering Auditorium 

UC Irvine

 

This presentation is sponsored by the Irvine division of Cal-(IT)2 and
hosted by Andrei Shkel, UCI assistant professor of mechanical and
aerospace engineering.  

It is free and open to the public.  For more information, call (949)
824-6900.

 

Abstract:  In the early 1990s, BEI Systron Donner introduced a new MEMS
tuning fork Quartz Rate Sensor (QRS) gyroscope technology (based on the
Coriolis effect) that had been successfully utilized in several
Aerospace and Defense (A&D) applications including the guidance of the
Maverick Missile. The technology had not captured significant market
share beyond A&D before the defense market contracted at the end of the
Cold War causing a significant revenue reduction that forced the company
to look at other markets.

 

An emerging application for low-cost rate sensors in automotive
stability control brake systems was identified.  The QRS exceeded
automotive performance specifications and demonstrated potential for
high volume, automated manufacturing techniques for lowering costs. A
massive culture and infrastructure change was implemented over the next
5 years to penetrate this market.   Multi-discipline teams re-engineered
every department to conform to automotive quality and ERP systems,
statistical process controls, factory automation, engineering
design/validation and technology road-mapping techniques for lowest unit
cost and continuous cost reduction, exhaustive failure mode analysis and
development of a global supplier and customer base.

 

Engineering re-designed production in three key areas:  (1) quartz
tuning fork fabrication, (2) fork balancing and hermetic packaging and
(3) final assembly, calibration and testing.  Labor-intensive processes
were eliminated by automation and proofed against human error.  R&D
Engineering achieved continuous cost reduction with 5 year technology
roadmap plans including a unique design resulting in significant sensor
size reduction while increasing performance, an outcome traditionally
unexpected with size reduction in such mass based sensors.  Primary
customer needs of tight performance specifications and continuous fault
detection for safety-critical applications were met, resulting in
enthusiastic acceptance by the automotive industry with over 10 million
sensors shipped to date.

 

With renewed government emphasis on A&D budgets, this low-cost, high
performance technology is being leveraged back into A&D applications
(UAV's, low-cost missiles, smart munitions, guided bombs, avionics, etc)
while simultaneously penetrating advanced automotive applications. This
full circle commercialization has produced unprecedented profitable
growth for the company including revenue growth exceeding a factor of 6
since 1995.  

 

Speaker:  Dr. Asad M. Madni is President and Chief Operating Officer of
BEI Technologies, Inc., located in Sylmar, California.  Prior to joining
BEI in 1992 he was with Systron Donner Corporation (A Thorn/EMI Company)
for 18 years where he served in various senior level technical and
executive positions, eventually as Chairman, President and CEO.  He
received  the A.A.S. degree from RCA Institutes, Inc., B.S. and M.S.
degrees from University of California, Los Angeles and the Ph.D. degree
from California Coast University, all in electrical engineering.  Dr.
Madni is an internationally recognized authority with over 30 years of
experience in "intelligent" system design and signal processing.  He is
credited with over 90 refereed publications, 26 issued patents and 14
patents pending resulting in numerous "industry firsts".  He serves as a
director on the board of four technology companies and on the advisory
boards of  several professional and academic organizations. He is also
the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the 2004
Distinguished Engineering Achievement Award from the San Fernando Valley
Engineers' Council, the 2003 George Washington Engineer of the Year
Award from the Los Angeles Council of Engineers and Scientists (LACES),
the 2002 UCLA Professional Achievement Medal and the IEEE Third
Millennium Medal.

 

 

Shellie Nazarenus

Communications Mgr.

Cal-(IT)2 UC Irvine division 

416 Engineering Tower

Irvine, CA 92697-2800

office: (949) 824-9622 cell: (949) 533-2564 fax: (949) 824-8197

www.calit2.net

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/public/uci-calit2/attachments/20040513/05bb3562/attachment.html