Steering robot for vehicle testing uses custom motor

8th June 2017

Enaie Azambuja

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A brushless DC motor has been designed by Printed Motor Works for use in dynamic vehicle testing. The high power-density motor is part of a steering robot developed by Anthony Best Dynamics. The system helps provide a repeatable test environment for quantitative testing of road vehicles on the track. The compact design of the motor enables the assembly to be mounted behind the steering wheel, allowing normal driver operation between tests.

The three-phase permanent magnet motor is a customised version of PMW's IR9 series. Its conventional internal rotor design combined with dovetailed NdFeB rare earth magnets gives it exceptional performance and long service life.

Originally developed by PMW for an actuator for a bomb disposal robot, the modified motor retains the same winding specifications but incorporates a different shaft and a bespoke casing that integrates directly into the Anthony Best Dynamics steering robot.

During the design process the two companies' engineering teams worked closely together to ensure the exacting specifications of the motor package were met.

"Printed Motor Works took a complex design, generated production drawings and manufactured it to meet all our performance requirements," said Colin Martin, design director at Anthony Best Dynamics. "This is all the more appreciated as we only need the motor in fairly low volumes."

Steering robots, or programmable steering controllers, apply precise, repeatable inputs to a test vehicle's steering system. Applications include the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and electronic stability control (ESC) systems, as well as self-driving cars and other autonomous vehicles.