WMG at the University of Warwick in the UK, Pektron and JCB have collaborated as part of the Off-Highway Intelligent Power Management (OHIPM) project to develop software for the next generation of intelligent construction machines.
“This collaborative project between JCB, WMG and Pektron has helped to identify and develop future technologies that can improve the efficiency of many off-highway machines,” said Lee Harper, principal engineer at JCB. “The novel technology has shown great promise when tested over a variety of real-world duty cycles.”
The project, which was part-funded by Innovate UK enables the OEM to produce machines which emit fewer CO₂ emissions, while maintaining business performance in an evolving market.
Through analysis of JCB data, the companies were able to establish which parts of the machine fleet could be most effectively optimized through intelligent power solutions. The team at WMG were then able to create the control software to operate intelligent engines with automotive powertrain technology.
This means the system senses when the machine is idle and can make the decision to power down, providing optimal energy efficiency and minimal pollution.
“Being able to extend our control and systems modeling expertise into the off-highway sector and to work with both JCB and Pektron engineers has made this a really exciting and rewarding project to be a part of and one where the research has the potential to deliver real impact for all partners,” added Dr James Marco, hybrid and electric vehicles expert at WMG.
The collaborative project concluded in Summer 2017 and JCB will look to introduce its intelligent machines to the market by 2020.