Originally established in 1984 as the Changchun Institute of Automobile Transportation Engineering under the Chinese Academy of Transportation Sciences, the institute was later affiliated with Jilin University and renamed the Institute of Automobile Transportation, Jilin University. It serves as a council member unit of the China Association for Automobile Maintenance and Inspection Industry. Leveraging the strengths of Vehicle Operation Engineering, its researchers focus on theoretical research into intelligent vehicle inspection and diagnosis, development of motor vehicle inspection and diagnosis equipment, fully automated comprehensive and safety performance inspection lines, mobile inspection vehicles, special vehicles and rail transit equipment.
Since its founding, the institute has undertaken over 90 research projects with cumulative research funding exceeding RMB 70 million, including more than 30 national, ministerial and provincial projects (National Science and Technology Support Program, National High-Tech R&D Program (863 Program), National Natural Science Foundation of China) and over 60 contract research projects. Its research and technical development capabilities rank among the top in relevant domestic fields.
The institute acts not only as an experimental base for theoretical research but also a key platform for transforming scientific and technological achievements in Northeast China. Vehicle inspection systems and testing methods developed by the institute have been widely adopted nationwide, including calibrators for automobile wheel aligners, condition-based cold running-in systems for engines, side-slip test benches compatible with single and dual steering axles, multi-axle drive loading brake test benches, automobile suspension clearance test benches, intelligent automobile transmission clearance test benches, automobile wheelbase difference test benches, intelligent automobile contour dimension test benches, as well as dynamic simulation test benches, parameter testing benches, reliability test benches for transmission systems, vehicle end coupling simulation test benches and axle end reliability test benches for high-speed rail vehicle bogies, and reliability test benches for gauge-changing mechanisms of high-speed variable-gauge trains.
The institute provides services including inspection equipment development, automobile inspection line design and full-automatic measurement & control system development for comprehensive automobile performance, winning wide recognition and trust from the industry and generating sound economic and social benefits. It has been awarded 2 first prizes, 5 second prizes and 1 third prize of Provincial/Ministerial Science and Technology Progress Awards, 1 Excellent National Invention Patent Award, 1 Jilin Provincial Invention Award and 1 Winner Award at the Pittsburgh International Invention Show in the United States, along with 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal at national invention exhibitions. Over 40 invention patents and 72 utility model patents have been authorized, and more than 150 high-level academic papers have been published.
