Driving robots powered by ELMO servo drives
The Background
The company ABD produces driverless robot systems for testing the vehicle dynamics and also develops Guided Soft Target Vehicle (GSTV) used to simulate a collision and collect the data for automotive manufacturers in active safety markets.
The Challenge
Typical or traditional vehicle dynamics testing requires a test driver to put a step or sinusoidal inputs into the steering. The more repeatable to make those inputs to get the same every time, the higher possibility to collect better quality data about how the car handles. Although using a human test driver is undoubtedly still an important part of testing for any new automotive model, even the most experienced driver will be subject to fatigue and physical stress, which can have a detrimental affect on repeatability.
Addressing this need, the company needs to design its driverless steering robot & pedal robots for the brake and clutch; a further challenge is to develop a system by which a vehicle could steer itself through a defined path using GPS. All of these require to be very precisely controlled and robust.
Motion Control Products / Elmo was put to the test, to supply a servo drive that:
- Provides smooth and robust motion (car model: Volvo V60)
- Sustains high power density and high levels of current
- Tailored to the limited space available for servo drives in the vehicle
- Provides the required precision
The Solution
- Product Family: Servo drives
- Product Used: Gold Solo Trombone servo drive & Gold Drum HV servo drive
- Product Type: Standard
Benefits:
- Demonstrating Elmo’s “Smart Small and Simple” approach to be effective
- Less problematic and reliable servo drives to save overall cost
- Providing a compact servo drive meeting high current and resolution requirements with maximized system performance
- Proving to be:
- An ideal servo drive for maximum efficiency
- A GREEN solution with negligible heat dissipation and negligible EMI
- Highly efficient, high precise control
- Off-the-shelf products
- Full compliance to industrial STDs such as:
- EMC tests according to IEC 61800-3 and EN 61326-3-1
- Environmental tests according to IEC 61800-5-1
- Safety tests according to IEC 61800-5-1
- STO Safety tests according to IEC 61800-5-2
- Safety according to UL 508c