‘Power
Assist’ technology
delivers more sensitive vehicle
comfort controls
•
adds manual feel and interactivity
to motorised products such as
windows and seat adjusters
A novel
new technology from Cambridge
Consultants Ltd (CCL) provides
a more responsive and friendly
way of controlling powered vehicle
appliances such as electric
windows and seats. Simple to
apply, it could provide a rich
new source of differentiators
for automotive manufacturers
seeking imaginative ways to
re-style vehicle interiors.
Dubbed Power Assist, the technology
offers a method of interacting
with powered products that replaces
crude "on/off" functionality
with natural and responsive
controls directly related to
a user's hand movement.
With Power Assist, motor power
is applied via a hand-wheel
control . The technique could
be used to implement 'retro'
style window controls for example,
which translate turning hand
movement into automated winding
- slowing or stopping in synchronisation
with the user's hand, and reversing
direction if rotation direction
changes. Another application
is electric seat controls that
adjust position as a control
wheel is rotated. In both cases
these new functions may be provided
as fine-control mechanisms,
integrated alongside conventional
switched controls.
"Motorised power can be
a very blunt instrument,"
says Craig Webster, Head of
Power Products at CCL. "This
concept creates an opportunity
to produce highly interactive
vehicle controls which are fun
to use, and more precise in
the way they operate."
Power Assist can be added to
motor-powered appliances using
just a handful of low cost components,
which in essence are a slightly
more sophisticated version of
the motor control circuitry
that is currently used.
A range of implementations are
possible using the technology:
from simple movement-linked
control, to control with torque
sensing and feedback, moderated
by various tunings of the control
loop to optimise the feel of
an appliance to appeal to different
categories of user.
In the automotive applications
CCL foresees for this technology,
the basic technologies are mature
and patents have expired, and
manufacturers have little scope
to differentiate themselves
from the competition. This background
serves to make CCL’s Power
Assist technology a strategic
weapon that is capable of adding
value and creating a unique
style at very low cost.
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Notes for editors: Cambridge Consultants
Limited (CCL) designs and develops
innovative new products, processes
and systems. The organization enables
clients to turn business opportunities
into commercial successes, whether
launching first-to-market products,
or expanding existing markets through
the introduction of new technologies.
With a team of over 250 engineers
and scientists, CCL is able to offer
solutions across a diverse range of
industries including healthcare, telecommunications,
industrial and consumer products,
automotive and aerospace. Operating
from purpose-built laboratories on
the Cambridge Science Park, CCL works
for multinationals and small companies
alike.
