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Focus on safety: QuantumX from HBK

Thomas Magnete, Germany

Introduction

Brake boosters are among the most critical safety components in a vehicle. Thomas Magnete, a company specialized in actuator systems, relies on HBK's QuantumX data acquisition (DAQ) system for testing electromagnetic actuators for brake assistants. If a critical situation arises in road traffic, both the driver's ability to react and the force required to actuate the brake pedal are often insufficient to stop the vehicle in time to avoid an accident. In such cases, a switching magnet activates the brake booster, which decreases the braking distance by up to 40%, thereby substantially reducing the risk of collision. Thomas Magnete, based in Herdorf, Germany, are specialized in actuator systems; the company manufactures high quality magnets which provide extremely short response times - an essential characteristic for enhancing passenger safety.

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Test system for automotive mass production

Thomas Magnete developed and built a test rig for a customer in the automotive sector, which is used in mass production for testing electromagnetic actuators for brake assistants. The system utilizes HBK measurement technology comprising transducers and DAQ instrumentation.

Measurement of force and displacement signals

The test involves the measurement of force, introduced by means of a servo drive, acting on an S2/200N force transducer. The directly coupled WA-L100W displacement transducer with plunger is used to measure the traverse path. LabVIEW® software enables force-displacement characteristics to be generated from the measured force and displacement signals for evaluating force values at specific points of the characteristic curve. In addition, the difference (hysteresis) between the two arms of the characteristic curve is determined and the maximum value of the calculated difference. Another test criterion is to determine the slope between two points of force measurement. The limit values of the testing current are also monitored. The MX840 universal amplifier from the QuantumX family is used for amplification and further analysis of measurement signals; it supports all common transducer technologies.

 

"QuantumX MX840 - a perfect complete solution"

Michael Bender, project manager at Thomas Magnete, explains the selection criteria: "In addition to high measurement accuracy and stability - alongside compactness - our focus has been on easy integration and control of the system. Thanks to the QuantumX's universality we could, for example, use standard components and easily integrate the amplifier into our system via the Ethernet interface. Parameterization and checking of the measurement channels were very easy. HBK’s APM™ Technology (Advanced Plug & Measure) reliably identified the connected transducers and thus ensured very short setup times. Since we use LabVIEW® data acquisition software, we also needed a data acquisition system with the corresponding driver. HBK's MX840 module from the QuantumX series has been able to offer all this - a perfect complete solution."

Thomas Magnete develops electromagnetic and fluidic actuator systems for automotive and mobile hydraulic applications. Their solutions set internationally recognized standards.

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