Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) today announced that its Spicer Smart Suite Intelligent Load Monitoring System (ILMS) is now available for pre-production testing by vehicle manufacturers. Showcased at CONEXPO/CON-AGG, this system for telehandlers uses patented and proprietary data-collecting technologies across the vehicle to prevent tip-over incidents, estimate static loads, and supply intelligent calibration management.
Spicer Smart Suite ILMS is designed to alert the operator of potential tipping situations, reduce the risk of vehicle breakdowns, improve productivity and precision, and enhance the long-term durability of powertrain systems. Production of the Spicer Smart Suite ILMS is anticipated for 2018.
Traditional load monitoring technology collects limited measurements from a single remote-mounted or retrofitted load cell on the rear axle. Spicer Smart Suite ILMS transforms the axle frame into an active system that uses highly integrated electronics and intelligent algorithms to improve performance and enhance safety.
The system is part of a series of Spicer Smart Suite technology packages under development by Dana. This platform of fully integrated, connected-vehicle features converts operating data from the drivetrain into actionable insights for enhancing productivity, improving operator and machine safety, reducing maintenance costs, and decreasing total operating costs.
Spicer Smart Suite technology is fully integrated into component housings, delivering optimum packaging and ensuring that sensitive mechatronic sub- systems are fully protected from accidental damage and the impacts of typical operating environments. Dana’s solution supplies greater long-term value over the remote-mounted and retrofitted solutions currently available from third-party providers.
“Interest in advanced operating intelligence is growing rapidly among equipment manufacturers in the off-highway market. Vehicle owners and operators are looking for robust metrics and analytics to improve safety and performance,” said Aziz Aghili, president of Dana Off-Highway Drive and Motion Technologies. “The Spicer Smart Suite platform leverages Dana’s decades of expertise, seamlessly integrating vehicle intelligence technologies with our line of drivetrain components to provide real-time insights.”
In its most basic implementation, Spicer Smart Suite ILMS provides alerts of improper operating maneuvers to enable EN15000 compliance. Dana is currently testing a range of additional premium functions, including:
stability overview display, which shows the center of gravity of the telehandler and provides vital safety information while performing complicated maneuvers or positioning the vehicle on uneven terrain;
axle attitude estimation, which prevents tip-over incidents by showing the pitch and roll angles of the axles;
vehicle usage records, which document load cell sensor data, vibration and shock absorption, and other historical information. This data collection can benefit the rental market in terms of liability, maintenance, and cost considerations; and
estimation of lifted loads.
A wide range of Dana’s advanced drivetrain, power-transmission, and fluid power technologies for construction vehicles are on display at CONEXPO/CON-AGG in booths 84712 and 82218 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.