Drives & Controls March 2022

n TECHNOLOGY March 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com 22 p A new welding line at a BMW plant in Munich is using the world’s first radar sensor certified to SIL2 / Pld / Cat 3 to detect the presence of people so that the line only operates when no one is in a designated area. The installation is using the Italian-made Inxpect 200 safety radar which is claimed to be sensitive enough to detect movements caused by people breathing. The sensors are said to respond rapidly, allowing full-speed operations to resume when the area is clear. www.inxpect.com p A Japanese company, AI Robotics , has launched an AI (artificial intelligence) cloud service for visual inspection which, it claims, has the world’s first automatic parameter optimisation function. The ADFI service allows users to develop anomaly detection AI for inspection and integrate it into real-world applications“in a few hours”. Previously, developing anomaly detection AI required parameter adjustments and verification by experts, and typically took several weeks. https://adfi.jp p Japan’s NEC has developed a control technology for AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) that, it claims, doubles their efficiency while maintaining safety. The“risk-sensitive stochastic control technology”uses models to quantify uncertainties such as sensor errors, and allows AMRs to determine when to travel at high speeds and over the shortest distances. In high- risk areas, they move slower. In tests, work times were halved and transfer efficiencies doubled compared to conventional AMRs. NEC plans to commercialise the technology by March 2024. p Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has announced two silicon carbide (SiC) Mosfet modules with the same mountings as silicon-based IGBT modules, but lower losses. It says that the modules will allow industrial equipment such as inverters to run more efficiently and/or to be smaller. One module has a 1.2kV voltage rating and drain current rating of 600A. The other is rated at 1.7kV and 400A. https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com p The US semiconductor manufacturer Microchip has announced a family of IEEE- compliant, eight-port TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) Ethernet switches which, it says, are the first turnkey system for industrial automation networks. The LAN9668 TSN devices, it adds, will enable lower latency data traffic flows and higher clock accuracies. www.microchip.com p RS Components has teamed upwith Ultra Librarian ,“the world’s largest CAD library”, to integrate its CADmodel library into RS’s free DesignSpark platform, allowing users to access the Ultra Librarian Parts Finder containingmillions of free 3Dmodels. RS says this will cut PCB design times. Ultra Librarian CADmodels can be accessed by entering a part number or keywords.The models can be downloaded for free, and imported into DesignSpark or other CAD tools. www.rs-online.com/designspark/ ultra-librarian-parts-fi TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS THE SWEDISH SUPERCAR manufacturer Koenigsegg has developed an electric motor that combines radial (power-dense) and axial (torque-dense) flux topologies to produce a machine which, it claims, delivers the best torque-to-power-to-weight ratio available. The car-maker says that its Quark motor is smaller and lighter than any other in its class, with the first production version weighing just 30kg, yet capable of producing up to 250kW of power and 600Nm of torque. Koenigsegg suggests that the Quark motor rethinks the fundamentals of magnetism, materials, cooling and packaging. Although the“raxial flux”motor has been developed primarily to power the company’s four-seater Gemera hybrid-electric“mega-car”, the company sees potential uses for the“torque- rich”ultra-compact motor in other EV powertrains, and for applications in the aerospace, marine and other sectors. Koenigsegg has also integrated two of the Quark motors with a“revolutionary”six-phase inverter and planetary gears, to create a torque-vectoring EV drive, called the Terrier – also claimed to be“class-leading”. In applications where there is no need for a step-down transmission, direct drive will be possible.“Small high-revving motors can have higher peak power-to-weight ratio, but they need transmissions in most applications in order to get to the desired output rpm and torque, causing energy loss and adding weight and complexity to do the same job, so any benefit in size is lost,”explains Koenigsegg’s founder and CEO, Christian von Koenigsegg. “In other cases – like the Terrier application – the transmissions can be reduced in size and complexity compared to higher-revving, less torque-dense motors, which is also a big win. I guess we’re trying to reach the edge of optimal in-betweenness.” András Székely, who led the motor development programme, explains how the designers overcame weight penalties.“We constructed the shaft in the Quark out of 300M steel used in motorsports and aerospace. Direct cooling was chosen for its higher cooling efficiency and compact design.”The motor’s rotor is based on the Aircore hollow carbon fibre technology that Koenigsegg already uses for its wheel rims, steering wheels, seats and other components. “We not only overcame the challenge of the Gemera’s powertrain requirements, but also exceeded goals of making it lighter and smaller than any electric motors in this class,” Székely continues.“The Quark presents new benchmarks in compact and torque-rich engineering…Without the extra driveline functions for the Gemera, the Quark can drop below 28.5kg in weight.” The Gemera will use three of the electric motors – one driving each rear wheel, while the third will be combined with a 500hp three- cylinder internal combustion engine (ICE) to power the front wheels. The combined output will be 1.27MW. The drive systemwill deliver more than 11kNm of torque from a standstill and will be able to accelerate the vehicle up to 100km/h in 1.9s, and on up to 400km/h using a single gear. The car will have an electric-only range of up to 50km, and a total range of 1,000km. The first deliveries are planned for 2023. “The Quark motor is designed to bolster the low-speed range of the Gemera, where you need it, for brutal acceleration,”explains Dragos- Mihai Postariu, who led the design of the motor. “The ICE then focuses on the high-speed range. What this means in terms of performance for the Gemera is a big power surge followed by a continuous record-speed push to 400km/h without any torque or power losses.” The Terrier integrated EV drive needs only one inverter (instead of two), because its six- phase inverter provides three phases for each of the two motors, thus cutting weight, size and component counts“drastically”. The inverter slots between the two flat motors to create a high-density square package. Because the motors deliver power and torque at low speeds, small low-ratio, efficient planetary gear sets can be used. Founded in 1994, Koenigsegg Automotive develops and manufactures performance megacars and sustainable mobility technologies. It has around 500 employees. www.koenigsegg.com Supercar maker combines motor technologies to deliver ‘record’ performance Koenigsegg claims that its Quark motor sets new benchmarks for performance, and could have applications away for EVs. It has been designed to power the company’s Gemera“mega-car” .