Eaton ‘Drive-by-wire’ months away from operational use

First published at bauma - April 11, 2019

Steer by Wire System

Eaton Hydraulics is taking the path of the aviation industry in introducing a ‘drive-by-wire’ system for construction vehicles.

‘Fly-by-wire’ was first introduced three decades ago on the Airbus A320, where the pilots’ control inputs are transmitted to the aircraft’s control surfaces by electrical impulses, rather than by traditional mechanical and hydraulic linkages.

Eaton is developing a demonstration model of this technology; a prototype on its stand is set up to represent the type of system that would be used on a small vehicle such as a Bobcat. The system is set up with the steering wheel connected to the electronic control unit.

The company says that the exact characteristics of the system will be dictated by a combination of OEM requirements and by safety legislation, especially in Europe.

One advantage of the drive-by-wire system is that steering characteristics and parameters, such as its sensitivity at different speeds, or the number of turns of the steering wheel lock to lock, can be altered by reprogramming.

It also gives vehicle designers the freedom to put the driver’s cabin in non-traditional locations, as there are no restrictions due to the presence of hydraulic tubing. The vehicle can also be driven remotely via a control pad, if the operator requires a better view of operations.

Some components of the system are already in production, while others are only weeks away. “We do have a customer for the drive-by-wire system, it’s production-ready,” said Eaton business development manager, power & control products EMEA, Andreas Kling. He could not name the client, as it had not yet officially launched the new system, but the system will be incorporated into a materials-handling machine, he said.

Stand A5 423