FEATURE DRIVES, CONTROLS & MOTORS
Driving e-mobility for commercial vehicles
D
emand for alternative commercial vehicles is growing rapidly. In the future, in inner cities and urban environments, buses, trams, municipal
vehicles (waste collection and street cleaners), as well as light and heavy distribution trucks, will all be powered by electric energy. However, to generate the best customer value, an e-mobility drive inverter
must have the ability to meet new requirements and innovations quickly and flexibly, while at the same time maintaining high quality. Electrification means that in addition to the main drive of the vehicle being
powered by electric motors, the various auxiliary components – pumps for air conditioning and power steering, water pumps, air compressors, linear actuators, hydraulic pumps for loading bays and tail lifts – must also be driven using electric motors. But with so many motor technologies available, which one should you use, and which drive do you need to control it? KEB has developed an automotive product for auxiliary devices: the T6 APD
e-mobility drive inverter can run all common motor technologies, giving the user the choice to select the best motor type for each of their applications. With so many auxiliary components that need to be powered by their own
drive, the T6 APD can help reduce the physical footprint of all the drives, as well as reducing the amount of cabling on the vehicle. It is available in a scalable, multi-drive configuration, with up to five drives (each selectable) in a single unit solution. Using established and proven technology, no feedback cables are required. Through the MCU, each drive axis can be individually and independently controlled and with CAN J1939 on board, the T6 APD connects to the vehicle’s MCU. Moving to electrically driven auxiliary equipment in vehicles has raised
many questions over the last couple of years. KEB has worked with several manufacturers who have had concerns in the following areas:
Soft start: If an electric motor is started without a soft start, there
will be high initial current. However, the soft start is current controlled, which the inverter provides. Incremental control:With new legislation, simply raising and lowering a
bus between two fixed positions is no longer sufficient. The driver requires incremental control. Incremental control can be achieved by utilising standard features on the inverter. There are various ways to set this up and by utilising these inverter features, the lowering and raising of a bus to variable heights can be achieved, which is particularly useful for disabled access, where the height of the curb varies from one stop to the next. Control and feedback: Control and feedback are important in many
applications. Control and feedback of hydraulic rams on a waste truck, for example, can be achieved in several ways. Being a drives expert, KEB is able to discuss the various options available. Metering of current usage: The T6 APD can monitor and control the
current of the auxiliary devices it drives, which could be fed to the vehicle’s MCU, which in turn could be used to help monitor or meter the current usage on, for example, a bus, train or tram. The T6 APD meets customer requirements and offers an excellent
technical solution and drive performance – modularity, EMC reliability, good connectivity, scalability, and innovative software. By utilising it in the electrification of commercial vehicles, all of the above concerns can be solved.
KEB Automation
www.keb.co.uk
28
JUNE 2021 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
