PRODUCTS & SERVICES
IT IS POSSIBLE FOR JOYSTICK FUNCTIONALITY TO BE ENHANCED WITH CAN,
WITHOUT THE SIZE OF THE DEVICE BEING AFFECTED
FREE READER INQUIRY SERVICE
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CALDARO
When customers asked for full CAN functionality
on the C15 joystick, which is relatively small,
Caldaro accepted the challenge to incorporate all
additional electronics onto the existing 37mm circuit
board. This was a difficult task, as the circuit board
already carries dual redundant sensor circuits for the
two main axes of control.
Finnish company Technion creates electronic control
systems for mobile machines. It asked Swedish company
Caldaro if it could integrate CAN inside the C15 joystick.
“We have supplied joysticks with CAN for many years,”
explains Erik Kauppi, sales engineer at Caldaro, “but
we used to buy ready-made CAN interface cards and
attach them to the bottom of the joystick, which was |
a clunky solution. What if we could offer a joystick with
the card embedded inside, but without making the
joystick any larger?”
64 iVTInternational.com June 2019
Caldaro’s C15 joystick
(TOP), CANopen joystick
(BOTTOM LEFT) and P09
foot controller (BOTTOM
RIGHT) provide robust,
versatile ergonomics in
industrial vehicles
Caldaro has now built its own CAN interface and
incorporated it into the compact design of its C15
joystick. This simplifies the assembly with fewer cables,
makes it easier to mount on a machine, and makes it
more robust. The electronics are extremely well
protected from vibration and moisture, because they
are encapsulated in a silicon-filled housing.
The joystick and control system
To construct a big forestry crane that has a long
reach is a substantial test on the steering control
system. Thanks to CAN technology, each hydraulics
controller can be mounted near the valve block.
By removing unneeded cables, reliability is greatly
enhanced. Technion’s new xCrane PRO crane
control system is the first application of Caldaro’s
new CAN joystick.
“The traditional crane control means that each
cylinder is controlled with one joystick movement,” says
Toni Lomakka, sales manager at Technion. “Our xCrane
PRO brings crane operations to a completely new level
with state-of-the-art tip control. Operators can now
control the tip of the boom instead of controlling each
cylinder separately. Crane operations become easier,
faster and more intuitive.”
“The operator can perform precise
movements even with long reaches,”
says Lomakka. “The crane tip moves at
a smooth, constant speed regardless of the
outreach, and the control system automatically
slows down the speed in the end positions.”
When many actuators work seamlessly
together, the operator experiences easier
and smoother control, which in turn
increases productivity.
“This also means that fuel consumption
decreases and even the machine operator saves
his energy,” says Lomakka.
Fulfilling future safety demands
Caldaro has developed an entire technical platform
that can easily adapt functionality to meet specific
customer requirements. This includes the creation of
hardware and software that runs automated tests.
In just days, they simulate a huge number of scenarios,
including many that you typically won’t encounter in
traditional field testing.
“All hardware passes systematic tests before it gets
incorporated into a joystick,” says Petter Löfgren,
technical manager at Caldaro. “To make it even safer,
we implement duplicate processors. The new CAN card
is armed with two powerful 32bit processors.”
Caldaro aims to be one step ahead in product safety.
This includes making the CAN joystick future-proof.
“The new CAN hardware is designed to meet
extremely tough safety requirements,” says Löfgren.
“As soon as we are ready with the software and have
verified the product with compliance testing, we
can offer ISO 13849 Pl-d/CAT3 electronics in all our
joysticks and pedals.” iVT
Author: Erik Kauppi, sales engineer, Caldaro
Incorporating CAN
/pivt
/iVTInternational.com