Energy chains for a transformer test rig for autonomous vehicles

TDK RF Solutions dedicates its engineering expertise to vehicles with driver assistance systems. To test their susceptibility to faults and electromagnetic compatibility, the US company is developing a test rig for vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) tests. To enable the vehicle to drive as if it were on a road, the designers have realised a turntable with rollers. It is surrounded by a series of test antennas that radiate the vehicle with high electric field strengths. Five axes of movement are required to be able to freely position each antenna assembly. The challenge was to find an adaptable and at the same time temperature-resistant cable routing for high-performance frequency cables, control cables and compressed air hoses.

To guide the high-performance frequency cables, control cables and compressed air hoses of the antenna assemblies, the engineers at TDK RF Solutions rely on energy chains made of high-performance plastic from the 1400 series. e-spool® series slip ring-free spring cable reels are also used. The combination is not only temperature-resistant, fail-safe and durable. e-spool® also offers the following advantage: the suspended masts of the test rig move along two axes and rotate around a third, so that the engineers did not have to synchronise a fourth motor with the other three due to the spring-loaded design of the cable reel. Thanks to the absence of a slip ring, maintenance times were also reduced.