There are many possible applications for intelligence in off-road equipment.” ![]() “Perhaps the operator is simply in charge of the direction of the vehicle’s movement and the software determines the grading adjustment needs, or the operator may interface directly with the percentage of slope desired. “But, we know if we move in that direction we will provide customers with the value that they would like to have.” Electronics technology can help automate functions such as grading. However, Elfsberg doesn’t believe that the construction industry will see full autonomy in the near future. Machine intelligence continues the journey toward full vehicle automation. Consider the example of parking assist in the automotive industry. Machine intelligence allows new solutions such as automated features that decrease operator fatigue. The second reason for increased machine intelligence is increased customer value. We need the intelligence to make the right decisions for the complete machine while you are operating it.” ![]() So you will not get the mechanical and hydraulic feedback that you get in a conventional machine. “The machine will be optimized to work at the sweet spot for the engine. The first is an operator in a decoupled machine might not be able to listen to the engine speed to understand how much is being demanded from the machine. Increased machine intelligence is needed for two reasons. “This is connected to the decoupling because when we take parts of the subsystems and make them talk to each other through a computer, the machines can get smarter.” “The next paradigm shift is machine intelligence,” says Elfsberg. Another example of decoupling would be electric hybrid technology, where the engine serves as a generator, which is decoupled from all other machine systems. This allows more freedom in how the engine is operated. “By decoupling the systems into more disconnected subsystems, we have building blocks to create a customized machine for the customer.”įor instance, the engine can be decoupled from the transmission, which would mean engine speed and wheel speed would no longer be dependent on each other. “Normally a complete driveline has a lot of things coupled together,” notes Elfsberg. ![]() “We will do this because we want to eliminate losses in our machines,” says Elfsberg. This can eliminate many hoses, pipes, gears and converters that add cost and waste. The industry will transition from mechanically and hydraulically coupled systems in the machines to disconnected systems that talk to each other electronically. These paradigm shifts will happen whether a company prepares to address them or not. “We need them because we have three paradigm shifts coming for the construction industry,” says Jenny Elfsberg, Director of Emerging Technologies, Volvo Construction Equipment. Engineers will play a key role in the rapidly changing construction equipment landscape. Never before has the research and development department been so vital to an OEM’s future success. They shared with us paradigm shifts that will create revolutionary changes in machine design. ![]() Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) recently invited OEM Off-highway to Sweden to discuss future technology developments in the construction machinery market.
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