Electric drives require much technology. The built-in sensors are particularly prone to failure. A THWS team aims to contribute to improving the technology's reliability. How students conduct research in collaboration with the industry.
Published on 17 October 2023
Increasing the reliability of electric drives and their safety in the case of sensor malfunction: This is the objective of a research project of Professor Dr. Abid Ali of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering that he has been working on together with four master’s students since September 2021.
The project’s main objective was to develop a system that did not require additional sensors to cover any malfunctions and to ensure safe operation, Professor Dr. Ali said. For this, alternative measured or estimated values are determined to even out possible malfunctions of individual sensors. Complex algorithms determine failures early and adapt the drive accordingly to avoid a complete shut-down. These developments are essential as electric drive systems are increasingly being used in road traffic and failure can have severe consequences.
The initiative for the project emerged from long-standing research in the field of sensor-less drive, and from discussions within the research group. The collaboration with the project partners is based on a long-standing partnership with the main cooperating partners Jopp Holding GmbH and Schneider Electric Automation GmbH. Another industry partner is Sensorless Motor Control Technologies GmbH, a THWS spin-off. As a former employee of Schneider Electric, Professor Dr. Bernhard Müller, Manager of the Lab for Intelligent Control and Drive Systems at THWS, established the contact with the two contact persons Jörn Gräwe, Manager R&D Servo Drive Firmware, and Michael Rösch, Director R&D Motion.
Collaboration with Schneider Electric
The cooperation with Schneider Electric, a French electrical engineering company, takes place at the location in Marktheidenfeld, where the focus is placed on automation solutions for mechanical engineering. Schneider Electric contributes practice-related requirements and offers support with test stand and special tests in their own lab. In the weekly meeting with Schneider Electric, results are discussed, further steps are defined, and open questions are answered.
THWS and Schneider Electric have a long-standing relationship that can be experienced in regular field trips in the winter semester. During these field trips, THWS students of technical degree programmes gain insights into the lab, the company, and the latest developments in the field of drive technology. The field trips offer students the chance of establishing first contacts with Schneider Electric as potential employer. "The field trip is no mere factory tour – to is, the students are the future", Michael Rösch stresses. "We do not only want to attract employees but their know-how as well."
Coordination of different project requirements
A research project involving multiple project partners leads to additional academic, technical, and organisational challenges. On an organisational level, it was a demanding task to bring the project partners’ different requirements into accordance, to identify the most important cases of application, and to define work priorities. As the project is still on-going, technical difficulties that need fixing keep popping up. Müller highlights the successful cooperation with Schneider Electric: "We collaborate closely on a technical as well as on an interpersonal level to find optimal solutions." Interpersonal relationships were the decisive factor for successful collaboration, regardless of technical perfection, Jörn Gräwe adds. "Even a technically sophisticated solution can fail if the parties involved do not collaborate effectively."
In addition to scientific-technical and organisational challenges, the question of research project funding remains. For THWS students, a helpful address for questions around research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and third-party funds, is the Campus for Applied Research (CAF). For this project, the CAF recommended the funding programme of the Bavarian Research Foundation as a potential funding option. The approval of the submitted application made it possible to employ Sebastian Taege as research associate. He emphasises: "Participating in sponsored projects increases out attractivity as research partner and reduces the financial burden on companies. Students can gain valuable experiences and make first contacts with industry partners."
Technical progress and promotion of regional training
The collaboration of THWS and the project partners played an important role for technology as well as for the education of young people in the region. It enables access to the latest research findings and technologies. "As a high-tech company we rely on strong research partners to develop innovative products," Michael Rösch emphasises. Through collaboration, the partners could work on solutions together and benefit from research findings. This cooperation also plays a critical role in education young people in the region. "This collaboration promotes the development of competencies, the availability of specialists, and competitiveness of the region," Jörn Gräwe says. Young people got the chance to develop their potential for the job market through internships, student projects and the exchange of knowledge.
The objective of the research project is to generate new knowledge and to ensure that the developed solutions can be integrated in real products. "It is our aim to quickly implement the developed algorithms in practice as they are tightly linked with the actual technology," Professor Dr. Ali explains. Involving the industry partners ensures that the questions students work on are relevant and meet the current requirements of the industry. Another objective is to present the project outcomes at conferences and to publish them in specialist journals. A first success could already be achieved by the publishing an article about the project in the specialist journal "IEEE Access".
![[Translate to Englisch:] Skizze des Konzepts für ein fehlertolerantes elektrisches Antriebssystem
(Quelle: THWS / Prof. Dr. Abid Ali)](/fileadmin/redaktion/bildmaterial/Hochschulmagazin/Vernetzung-Karriere/Ausgabe-5/5-VuK-4_Serie_Unternehmenskooperation_2/Skizze.jpg)
