System networking in commercial vehicles
Progressive thinking
The future of commercial vehicle technology lies in interoperable systems. These are designed to enhance safety and economy in vehicle operation.
Coordinated action
The handling of a commercial vehicle is dependent on a wide range of factors, including the condition and gradient of the road, current speed, lateral acceleration, etc. Coordinated action of all electronically controlled modules is essential to ensure the vehicle operates in an optimal range at all times. Managing the resulting volume of data without interface and adaptation problems is only possible with structured software using uniform data protocols on the same platform. To achieve this goal, ZF is working with engineering and system partners from vehicle manufacturers to network the transmission, chassis and cab dampers, along with the steering system and other chassis components in commercial vehicles.
Perspectives for the future
A networked system is also a requirement for driverless fleet handling. A possible future scenario could see the driver leaving his vehicle at a loading dock, the vehicle automatically drives up to the loading ramp and is loaded/unloaded before moving to the fuel station and on to the truck wash. This would significantly reduce the vehicle idle times and give drivers more flexibility for rest periods.
Twice as smart: safe and economical
In addition to reducing costs, comprehensive system networking improves safety in the driver's cab. For example, by improving stability. Load shifting when the driver takes evasive action is significantl reduced. The superimposed steering system optimizes the steering angle, while the CDC (Continuous Damping Control) shock absorber system ensures perfectly adapted damping to help the driver keep the vehicle under control, with less steering interevention in sudden avoidance maneuvers or cross winds.
