MOTION SYSTEM TRENDS
Trends in gears and gearmotors THE FUNDAMENTAL MODE OF OPERATION for gearing and its transmission of
mechanical power remains unchanged — as has that for the electric motors with which they pair. But innovative variations have become increasingly common and include more custom gearing, compact designs, and better gearboxes and servogear sets (including helical gearing) for efficiency.
GEARING AND GEARMOTORS IN E-MOBILITY DESIGNS Depending on the context, electric mobility (e-mobility) designs are: • Vehicles with electric-motor-powered drivetrains (and their smartgrids to support fleet power demands) serving as an alternative to vehicles with internal-combustion engines • Smaller personal-mobility designs such as scooters, e-bikes, wheelchairs, power skateboards, and even exoskeletons for military and accessibility applications Precision drive-system manufacturer maxon Group supplies motion components for e-mobility. Case in point: A Scewo Bro wheelchair originally developed by university students at ETH Zurich (called Scalevo as a prototype) includes two traditional wheels as well as two continuous wheels (called caterpillar tracks) optimized with maxon motors and gearing. This Scewo Bro wheelchair integrates twin 3.2-kg drives consisting of 60-mm-diameter brushless dc motors from maxon fitted with GP 52 planetary gearheads (shown above) for wheel propulsion. A maxon EPOS2 70/10 controller module ensures safe and reliable operation.
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DESIGN WORLD — MOTION
3 • 2020
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