Title
Brake control system
Hybrid (COB) technology reduces size by 85% and microcontroller improves brake life and performance
Technologies used

MCM; Microcontroller

Industrial sector (PRODCOM code)
    332 Instruments for Measurement
Abstract
The company Dr. K. Michel from Kittlitz, Germany was founded in 1993 by Dr. Michel and has 4 employees. Main business field is the production of Brake Control Systems. It is a typical small company located in the Eastern part of Germany coming from the R&D department of the Technical University Dresden.

Rational for such an AE project was the opportunity to increase sales and market share by introducing an innovative brake control system. So the customer wanted to have an improved product in order to implement it to their brake systems for electromagnetic spring load brakes. Special demands were the size of the new product but also an increased functionality.

So the objective of this AE was to develop a system which gives the opportunity of a cost saving in manufacturing in combination with reduction in size and an increased functionality of the system in order to establish this system at the market.

The market world-wide for such a product is about 50,000. This is about 10% of the total market for brake control systems.

The existing product is a brake control system, which delivers state information of electromagnetic spring load brakes. It is realised in PCB technology with discrete components. The function is based on the use of a magnet-field sensor. But the size of this solution makes it impossible to implement it within the brake, so that it is mounted outside the brakes.

Due to the use of a new technology in this case a Chip on Board (COB) technology a replacement of the old system with the improved product will be possible. This system is much smaller, has an increased functionality and allows an implementation within the brakes, which is demanded by the customers. So the improved product is a combination of an increased functionality, realised due to the use of a microcontroller, and a reduction in size, realised due to the use of the MCM/COB technology.

The project started in September 1996 and was finished November 1997. This results in a duration of 15 month. The project was founded with 80 K€. There was an extension of the original planned 12 month because of company intern reasons.

The most benefit of the AE was the improvement of the system in order to reduce the size and to add additional functionality, which allows a wider application field in different industry sectors. Also the acquired knowledge at the company will be used in further project. The estimated sales figures for the next years show that the payback period will be about 2 years and the ROI will be about 439 % on the FUSE investment.

The most important lesson learned by the company was that the choice of the right subcontractor is essential for the success of such a complex project. So the due to the close co-operation of the FU and subcontractor resulted in the necessary step for an intermediate solution in order to guarantee the functionality of the final MCM/COB solution.
Company
Dr. Michel-SENSORIK,
owner Dr. Michel
Bahnhofstr. 24,
D-02708 Kittlitz,
Germany
Detailed information
You can also benefit from microelectronics

MCM; Microcontroller technology provided Dr. Michel-SENSORIK with the means of improving its products and enhancing its market position. You can also achieve significant benefits by acquiring the right microelectronics technology and utilising it in your product or manufacturing process. You can get help from FUSE to realise this.

FUSE is a technology transfer programme, funded by the European Commission to stimulate the wider use of microelectronics technologies by European enterprises to increase their competitiveness and enhance their economic growth. The demonstrator described here is one of many examples in the public FUSE portfolio covering the whole spectrum of microelectronics technologies and spanning a wide range of applications and industry sectors.

FUSE provides you with:

  • Best practice in acquiring specific microelectronics technologies and conducting full development projects through the FUSE portfolio of real life demonstrator documents.
  • Local training and expert support to plan your innovation realistically and help you conduct your project successfully.

Further information and support relating to this and other demonstrators can be obtained from the addresses below.
Further information   Guiding Technology Transfer Node
For further information and support regarding this case study, please contact a Technology Transfer Node (TTN) in your region.
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