Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2024 - Sensor-21

operating conditions in real time, for
example changing lanes or braking
instantly to avoid a collision.
Wheel speed sensors with high resolution
represent a leap forward in autonomous
driving technology. By offering four
times the resolution - improving position
measurement accuracy - these
sensors facilitate more accurate automated
parking and enhance stability
and safety features such as lane keeping,
lane departure warnings, and precise
vehicle positioning. Although wheel
speed sensors alone are not used for
these systems, accurate and precise
Digital Twins for Industry
T
o learn about the use of digital
twins for machining operations in
industry, I interviewed Gisbert Ledvon,
VP of Marketing at HEIDENHAIN
Corporation, Schaumburg, Illinois.
Tech Briefs: An obvious question is,
what is a digital twin?
Gisbert Ledvon: A digital twin is a realistic
model of a machine on a programming
station. With it, you can view a machine's
real kinematic behavior, parameters, and
functions. In the machine tool world,
it can be an exact duplication of the
machine tool you use to manufacture
complex parts. You feed the CNC code to
the digital twin before you actually feed it
to your machine, and it reproduces the
machine's exact motions.
Its machining simulation can therefore
run just like the real machine. This
provides greater shopfloor assurance
that programs created with CAM systems
or the programming station will run
seamlessly. That saves time on setup,
simulation, and shopfloor debugging,
thereby increasing process reliability
and manufacturing productivity.
Tech Briefs: How do you set up the
model?
Ledvon: There are multiple digital
twin solutions. For example, a CAD/
CAM company could implement the
digital twin of a machine tool within
their software. They use the CAD/CAM
software to simulate what the machine
tool would do with the code they just
generated. It could include the axes of
motion to make sure there are no collisions,
for example. The HEIDENHAIN
digital twin includes that, but in adSensor
Technology, May 2024
Figure 1. The digital twin is for preparation, simulation, and collision prevention. (Image: Heidenhain)
dition, takes in detailed information
about the specific mechanical components
of the machine, for example,
specifications of the motors used on
each axis.
What are the torques, speeds, acceleration/deceleration
characteristics
for
that motor? For the rotary axis
you could add the spindle configuration
- their torque specifications
and rpm. HEIDENHAIN captures that
information and uses it to create the
digital twin. We ask the owner of the
machine or the OEM to send their
configuration file to our service group.
We then combine their file with those
mechanical specifications to create the
digital twin and accurately simulate
the machining process.
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We then make a backup of the entire
file and send it to the customer to upload
into their programming station. Because
the model includes the exact dynamic
behavior of the machine based on speeds,
feeds, and forces, they will have predictive
information about how long it's going to
take to machine the part, to what accuracy
and with what surface quality. They can
know almost within a minute, how long
it's going to take to machine it.
It's very important when you're bidding
on a job, to accurately estimate
how long it's going to take to machine
each part. if you underestimate it, and
it takes you 20 percent, 30 percent, 40
percent longer to make that part, you're
losing a significant amount of money.
You can't go back to the customer and
21
wheel speed data is critical for enabling
these applications.
Where We're Heading
The next generation of sensors needs
to maintain efficiency and cost-effectiveness
while ensuring fast, accurate, and
reliable communication. Sensors must
seamlessly integrate with software and AI
algorithms for precise environmental
perception and response to help guarantee
safe navigation in any scenario.
Establishing early and strategic partnerships
between OEMs and component
manufacturers is essential for success
in
this
changing
environment.
Effective collaboration will help overcome
traditional manufacturing barriers
and enhance vehicle safety and performance.
Sensors are at the core of this
shift, accelerating innovation and enabling
the creation of next-generation
vehicles across various markets.
This article was written by Alex Chin,
Vice President and General Manager for
the Transportation Sensors business in
TE Connectivity's Sensor Group. For
more information, go to http://te.com/
automotive-sensors.

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Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2024

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