The number of electric motors in automotive applications is increasing rapidly. In fact, our insatiable demand for safety, comfort, economy, clean environment and quality of driving are the main drivers behind the explosive growth in electric motors, writes Matthew Beecham.
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Take a seat
Let’s start by looking at seat applications. A typical seat-bottom frame for an upmarket vehicle includes no less than four motors which drive the height adjustment gearing or combined fore/aft and height-adjustment gearing. Yet powered seats are no longer the sole preserve of the luxury class vehicle segment. Imtiyaz Syed, vice president, engineering, Intier Automotive Seating told just-auto: “Although power seats were typically reserved for premium cars that is really no longer true, The power option is now being offered in other cars. We see the percentage of take rates for the power option is growing in the market in general. That is very true of the North American market. Consumers are getting so used to it these days that they are demanding power seats.”
The French interior systems maker, Faureica uses electric motors in its seat products. In terms of whether we can expect more DC motors to be used in vehicle interiors, François Prospert, front seat structure product manager, Faurecia, told just-auto: “We expect a steady increase but not more than this. Low-cost cars and entry segment will not require electrified seats.”
Brose is involved in the design, however, not in the manufacture of electric motors. It sees a number of notable trends with regards to the design and use of electric motors as applied to vehicle seating and doors. Klaus Deller, executive vice president of the Brose Group with responsibilities for purchasing and development including electrics/electronics, told just-auto: “The essential tendencies are towards reduction of weight and designed space, reduction of power input and the necessary improvement of efficiency accommodating thus mainly for the environmental protection.” In terms of the factors taken into consideration when deciding to place an order for DC motors from a supplier, Deller says the decision is influenced by a multitude of factors. “From the technical point of view, the main factors are meeting the specifications as well as the unique technical features. Furthermore, weight considerations and packaging space are becoming increasingly important. As far as the commercial aspect is concerned, the necessary competitiveness is increasingly essential.”
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By GlobalDataIn terms of whether we can expect more DC motors to be used in vehicle interiors, Deller believes that demand for DC motors in automotive applications will continue to grow “as additional automotive safety and comfort features are increasingly being developed.” The actuator market is also blossoming. “The number of actuators [also] continues to increase,” added Deller. “The need for adjusting car seats individually is growing continuously. The market saturation – especially of electric actuators will increase.”
Brose is supplying power seat adjusters to a number of automakers, including Audi. More specifically, Brose supplies power seat adjusters for the Audi Q7, in particular a lumbar support integrated into the backrest. Brose states this lumbar feature “evenly supports the car occupant’s iliac crest amd lower spine, aleviating the pressure on the intervertebral discs, at the same time preventing fatigue and faulty sitting posture.” The Q7 seats also features Brose’s six-way power seat adjuster, enabling the seat height, length and tilt to be adjusted by pressing a button. In addition to the ‘normal seat’, Brose also supplies a sports variant: compared to the basic design, this seat provdes better side support while driving along twisty roads.
As the number of electric motors in vehicles increases, the collective weight of these motors also increases. There are some moves by vehicle makers to reduce the number of electric motors, say in seats, in a bid to save cost and weight. Last year, Denso laumched a new type of power seat motor, claiming it as the world’s smallest and lightest (volume down 51%, mass reduced 37% compared to existing models). The new motor was created using four-pole Nd-Fe-B bonded magnets.
Steering towards an electric future
In the steering department, electric motors provide power to the steering wheel necessary to assist power steering systems. In comparison to hydraulic systems, electric steering systems place a lower load on the engine and help improve fuel efficiency. Last year, Denso also launched a brushless motor that it claims enhances the performance and installation of electric power steering systems. Again, the focus was on reduced size while enhancing power. The use of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets in the rotor enabled the Japanese supplier make the motor more compact and reduce inertia.
Eliminating the handbrake
A vehicle fitted with an electric parking brake puts an end to driving with the handbrake on or parked vehicles rolling away. In fact, electrically-operated parking brakes are becoming more common in new cars as automakers seek to save space and money by abandoning the traditional handbrake lever in the interior, plus the cables, linkages and mechanical adjusters beneath the car. Electric parking brakes (EPB) are typically operated by a button on the dashboard which operates an electric motor to actuate the brake cables. The latest-generation systems operate the brake disc with an electric motor mounted directly on the caliper. TRW Automotive claims that its EPB is “the most advanced in production.” A computer-controlled motor mounted on the brake caliper operates the parking brakes. Other systems made by Continental Automotive Systems and Siemens VDO Automotive also use an electric motor to operate the parking brake cables. Delphi’s electric brake – codenamed DEB 3.0 is a halfway house system with hydraulic front brakes and electro-mechanical rear brakes. It should be ready by 2010. The company’s fully electric by-wire brake, dubbed DEB 4.0 could be ready by 2012.
Raising the roof
Automakers now use sunroofs and other roof systems to help differentiate the product offerings to customers. In other words, roof systems are fast becoming part of a car’s identity. The small, rectangle-shaped roof window is being outshone by more eye-catching roof designs. The design emphasis these days is less on the old tilt and slide sunroofs and more on glass roofs stretching the length of the car and smart combinations of convertible and glass roofs. In fact, panoramic are becoming increasingly popular on both sides of the Atlantic, triggering strong demand for DC motors.
Switch-on, power-up
The power window lift market is almost mature in Europe and the US, with the vast majority of new cars featuring electrically-operated front windows. In the 1990s, these markets were characterized by electric motors in the front doors with manual mechanisms in the rear. These motors tended to be heavy and large although manufacturers are now busy developing slimmer units (discussed above). The trend has moved toward more use of integrated electronics with anti-pinch technology. In terms of design, the main thrust of R&D is centred on lightweight, smaller, quieter units, and longer life units. The latest design emerging from Siemens VDO Automotive in this regard is its so-called Performance Class One (PCO). The company claims it is more compact, quieter and lighter than its predecessors. More specifically, the company points out that the use of advanced rotor and gearbox design, the use of high-grade magnetic material and the separation of the motor shaft and worm gaear eneabled it to develop the PCO.
Some novel advances to wiper motors are also influencing demand for DC motors. For example, Bosch is supplying the world’s first electronically controlled reversing twin-motor wiper system for the Volkswagen Phaeton. Each wiper arm is driven by it sown motor. The wiper arms are synchronised electronically eliminating the need for a mechanical linkage. When the wiper is turned off, the wiper arms disappear under the hood, thereby improving the vehicle’s aerodynamics and reducing the risk of injuries during collisions with pedestrians.
Going forward, we should expect to see more wiper blades being controlled by electronic drive units. A Bosch executive told just-auto: “We already have such systems in use today but as the space under the bonnet reduces it is becoming more feasible to remove the traditional linkage — referred to as the wiper frame — and to replace them with a twin motor or electronic control system. There is not always a cost advantage to these systems, and this at the present time limits their application.”
Matthew Beecham
See also: Global market review of automotive electric motors – forecasts to 2013
