Moog Industrial Group, a division of Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B) and a leader in providing high-performance flight simulation and leading-edge testing systems to the automotive and aerospace markets, has provided the high-dynamic motion control system portion of the new Daimler AG driving simulator. The system is installed at Daimler’s new driving simulator center, which is part of the Mercedes-Benz Technology Center, in Sindelfingen, Germany.
The Moog electrical motion base is a hexapod consisting of six moveable supporting legs. It has six degrees of freedom (DOF): The top platform moves in x, y and z directions, and rotates over all three axes (pitch, roll and yaw). The entire motion system is mounted on the lateral rail, which makes possible the simulation of sideways movements such as lane changes that a hexapod on its own cannot simulate because of stroke limitations of the actuators. The Moog motion system is driven along the rail using linear motors. Inside the dome there is a full Mercedes-Benz car model where test drivers seat and view a 360° projection screen showing real-life traffic scenes, with moving pedestrians, oncoming traffic and buildings.
Most advanced simulator The complete motion system of the hexapod and lateral rail is controlled by Moog real-time software. From the driver’s input to the pedals and steering wheel, the Daimler vehicle models calculate position, velocity and acceleration data. Moog software translates this information to movements in the hexapod and lateral rail to ensure the driver’s sensory expectations are matched. Consequently, driving the simulator feels just like driving a normal car. Everything that the driver sees projected onto the dome is matched by what he or she feels through the movement of the car generated by the hexapod and rail. With its high speed electric motion system on a twelve-meter (39.37 ft) long rail for transverse movements and 360° screen, the dynamic simulator is the most advanced in the automobile industry. The system as integrated by Daimler engineers also features leading-edge energy efficient technology. Part of the energy required to drive the simulator is obtained by means of energy recuperation when braking and fed into the power network of the Sindelfingen plant.
About Moog Moog Inc. is a worldwide designer, manufacturer and integrator of precision control components and systems. Moog’s Industrial Group designs and manufactures high performance motion control solutions combining electric, hydraulic, and hybrid technologies with expert consultative support in a range of applications including energy production and generation machinery, industrial production machinery and simulation and test equipment. The company helps performance-driven companies design and develop their next-generation machines. Moog’s Industrial Group, with fiscal year 2010 sales of USD 540 million and over 40 locations worldwide, is part of Moog Inc. (NYSE:MOG.A and MOG.B) which has sales of USD 2.1 billion.
Moog P.O. Box 187 2150 AD Nieuw-Vennep Netherlands Tel +31 (0)25 246 2034 Fax +31 (0)252 462 001 Web www.moog.com/industrial
