Wireless rotary torque transducers are offered by Sensor Technology Ltd. They form the core of a test rig to design next-generation technologies for powertrains of hybrid and electric vehicles.
AVID Technology is dependent on the novel torque transducers in the context of an automated strategy for motor characterization and combines the exclusive expertise in electronics and electric motors employed over important powertrain technologies.
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Image Credit: Sensor Technology Ltd
Measures to Ensure Safe Air and More Sustainable Transport
The increasing cost of energy, urban air quality, and climate change have turned out to be the main concerns of the 21st century. These issues are mainly caused by exhaust emissions from vehicles, and energy consumption.
Governments globally have been putting forward certain measures to ensure safer air and more sustainable transport. In this context, together with the announcement that sales of petrol-only and diesel-only vehicles will be banned from 2040, the UK government has introduced the draft clean air policy.
This brings forward the role of hybrid and electric vehicles. These technologies are still in their early years of inception in evolutionary terms, and this is where AVID Technology plays a key role.
AVID Technology is headquartered in North East England, which, at present, is currently a world-renowned center for automotive development, and is a leader in the design and manufacture of electrified powertrain and sophisticated thermal management systems for heavy-duty and high-performance electric and hybrid vehicles.
Furthermore, through waste heat recovery, efficient thermal management, lubrication, parasitic loss reduction, and electrified ancillary systems, its technology enhances the efficiency of traditional internal combustion engines.
Powertrain Optimization Solutions from AVID Technology
The powertrain optimization solutions are designed for a wide scope of hybrid and electric vehicle applications such as high-performance passenger cars, heavy-duty trucks and buses, and off-highway machinery and motorsport vehicles.
The extremely efficient power electronics and electric motor technology from AVID technology provide world-class propulsion systems and electrified powertrains. AVID Technology has designed and developed a specialized test rig for testing and characterizing the high-performance electric motors used in electric and hybrid powertrains.
Sensor Technology’s novel wireless rotary torque measurement device is the key to the test rig design. When compared to strain gauges, magnetic torque sensors, and optical devices, which could be used in a traditional dynamometer, these non-contact surface wave acoustic (SAW) transducers supply huge advantages when utilized for motor characterization.
Advantages of AVID’s Test Rig from Sensor Technology’s TorqSense
SAW-based devices from Sensor Technology are robust, highly accurate, and non-contact. TorqSense torque sensors are equipped with two small SAW devices, which are made up of frequency resonating combs and ceramic piezoelectric material. These are fixed to the drive shaft at an angle of 90° to each other.
An increase in torque causes the combs to contract or expand proportionally to the applied torque. The combs function just like strain gauges but measure variations in resonant frequency as a result of this.
The radio waves which are emitted by the adjacent RF pickup toward the SAWs are then reflected. By observing the adjustment in the frequency of the reflected waves the current torque is identified. This configuration removes the requirement to supply power to the SAWs, making the sensor non-contact and wireless.
The TorqSense transducers are ideal for utilization in the stepper-drive test rig because of these properties. The sensor has supplied more accurate characterization results, while it has also permitted AVID to design a simpler test rig.
Conclusion
AVID Technology has reported that the device has provided a flawless performance in the application and believes that its test rig will play a key part in ensuring more advanced powertrain electrification, in keeping with its vision of a greener, cleaner, planet.
The TorqSense transducer was chosen as it allowed us to use a fixed pedestal load motor and eliminate frictional losses and parallax errors from the load installation in the measurements. This allows AVID to produce very accurate performance characterisation results compared to a conventional motor dynamometer.
Jordan Taylor, Sales Director, AVID Technology
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Sensor Technology Ltd.
For more information on this source, please visit Sensor Technology Ltd.