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Significantly within the discipline of autonomous automobiles, there’s a want for licensed security sensors in small type components, particularly for Automated Guided Autos (AGVs) and Autonomous Cell Robots (AMRs). Compared, AMRs are extra adaptable to the present work state of affairs. This is because of their extra unbiased navigation with out the necessity for lanes, route specs, or different infrastructure. They will adapt their routes to the state of affairs and infrequently understand extra environment friendly logistics. In these circumstances, high-performance sensor expertise is vital to attaining secure operation. Steering angle, wheel velocity, and the place of any car should be at all times reliably out there.

Small and light-weight security sensors are required to save lots of house and weight in agile and compact techniques. TWK provides a portfolio of licensed sensors in a compact design with completely different security interfaces. For instance, single-turn encoders with a housing diameter and size of solely 38 mm and a Fail-Secure-over-EtherCAT (FSoE) interface (TRK38), or gadgets with a housing depth of solely 30 mm and a CANopen security interface with a diameter of 55 mm (TBN55). Varied housing designs can be found for these and different security interfaces corresponding to PROFIsafe through PROFINET. Sensors with our dependable multiturn gearbox can be found from 42 mm diameter.

TWK’s miniature encoders could be mounted instantly on the wheels of an automatic guided car to detect the car’s velocity. Alternatively, they are often mounted on the drive motor of the car. The gadgets are additionally out there with magnetically shielded chrome steel housings. They will deal with speeds as much as 15,000 rpm and have a typical place decision of 16 bits/360°.

One other software for our compact encoders is the detection of the steering angle of the car. Right here measurements can be taken on the wheels or, after an intermediate transmission stage, on the servo motor. Within the latter case, TWK provides gadgets with SIL2-certified software program – the so-called slew-ring performance – which reliably converts the place of the motor/sensor shaft into the place of the wheels (steering angle). This works for arbitrary rotations over the entire measurement vary and for at the very least 1024 revolutions even when the encoder will not be powered. The wheel place is reliably and accurately output when switched on once more. Throughout commissioning, the consumer transfers the gear ratio and the required decision as parameters through the encoder’s interface and the encoder is able to use.

All gadgets are licensed in line with IEC 61508 and/or ISO 13849 – at SIL2 or PLd degree. Additional gadgets can be found with SIL3 certification. As well as, TWK provides UL, E1, ATEX/IECEx, and absolutely redundant (R2) licensed sensors.