n TECHNOLOGY January 2024 www.drivesncontrols.com 20 THE KOREAN AUTOMOTIVE GIANTS Kia and Hyundai have announced an in-wheel drive technology that they predict will revolutionise the design of transport systems. The Universal Wheel Drive System – or Uni Wheel – moves reduction gears inside a vehicle’s wheel hub, and locates a compact motor close to the wheel, reducing the length of the drive shafts and freeing up space in the vehicle. The technology could potentially be applied to all forms of motorised transport from passenger cars to mobile robots. It is claimed to deliver excellent eciency, power and durability without aecting ride comfort, and could result in longer battery ranges, increased passenger and storage space, and large at oors in commercial vehicles. The wheel uses a special planetary gear conguration consisting of a sun gear in the centre, four pinion gears on each side, and a ring gear surrounding this arrangement. Power from the motor is transmitted to the sun gear, which in turn engages the pinion gears to rotate the ring gear. This is connected to the wheel to drive the vehicle. The pinion gears are connected to each other to form two linkages. This multi-link mechanism allows multi-axis movements, supporting a wide range of suspension articulation. When travelling over bumpy, undulating surfaces, conventional drive systems that rely on conventional CV (constant velocity) joints lose eciency and durability as the angle of the drive shaft deection increases. The new design is said to transmit power with almost no change in eciency regardless of wheel movements. Moving the high reduction ratio gear inside the wheel hub results in high torque outputs and allows for smaller drive motors. By allowing independent control of up to four ecient electric drives, the Uni Wheel also allows “unprecedented” levels of torque vectoring, boosting dynamic abilities and delivering high levels of steering and driving stability. Kia and Hyundai say that the Uni Wheel will free up space inside vehicles. The extra space could be used for storage, or to t bigger batteries for longer EV ranges. The Uni Wheel could be applied to other mobile devices, such as wheelchairs, bicycles and delivery robots. It can be scaled to work with wheel sizes as small as 10cm or larger than 60cm. In addition, the ability to move the wheel’s rotation axis makes it possible to climb stairs as smoothly as an escalator. Kia and Hyundai say they are verifying the stability, eciency and durability of the design and aim to improve its eciency by adjusting the reduction gear ratios, and upgrading the lubrication and cooling systems. They have not revealed when the technology might appear in commercial products. “We will perfect the technology so that customers can experience mobility in a completely dierent and new way,” says Jongsool Park, a senior fellow at Hyundai’s Institute of Advanced Technology Development. The developers have registered eight patents related to the Uni Wheel in South Korea, as well as in the US and Europe. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Nd6C0y8xc20 ‘Paradigm-shifting’ in-wheel drive will revamp many vehicle designs THE TAIWANESE AUTOMATION supplier Delta Electronics has announced a new generation of lift drives with safety as a top priority, with safe torque-o (STO) built in, as well as being compliant with EN81-20 and EN81-50. The compact EB3000 drives ensure smooth, comfortable rides for passengers. They are said to be easy to install and maintain, and oer wireless control via Bluetooth. “Our new EB3000 drives are the answer to what elevator manufacturers have told us about their needs,” says Tim Lee, vicepresident and general manager of Delta’s Industrial Automation business in EMEA. “The market is evolving, and a wider variety of buildings are incorporating elevators of dierent sizes and types. “It’s extremely dicult to nd a highend, closed-loop drive option with this feature set anywhere else,” he adds. “We are happy to be able to provide this new line with both STO SIL3 and CANlift integrated, eliminating the need for two contactors and allowing integration with a broad range of motor types.” The drives’ front panels are smaller than a sheet of A4 paper. They are said to t easily into all types of elevator and building. They are suitable for new buildings or retrots. A“direct landing”function helps passengers to reach their destinations faster without feeling creep when the elevator stops. Precise torque control osets rollback for smooth starts. The STO function prevents the lift motor from producing unexpected torque forces. A “trapping prevention” function avoids the risk of passengers becoming trapped in a lift if an encoder fails. The drives help users to lower TCO (total cost of ownership) by reducing motor and EMC lter wiring, and integrating a datalogger to enhance repair eciency. The drives support various encoders and can connect to mobile devices via Bluetooth, allowing wireless control. www.delta-emea.com/ en-GB/products/Inverters-AC-MotorDrives/EB3000-Series Safety is a priority for contactor-free elevator drives The new drive system (above) moves high reduction ratio gears inside the wheel hub, while the planetary gear configuration (right) allows free movement even when transmitting power
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