Category: News

Press: “Feel-good zone on four wheels”

(This is an article in German by Clemens Gerlach from “Hamburger Wirtschaft”, published in issue 11/2018, http://hamburger-wirtschaft.de/pdf/112018/42/index.html#zoom=z)   Elektrosil has already developed many innovations in the automotive sector. With the new automatic climate control seat, a patent has now been granted to make driving even more comfortable and energy-saving. Without his developers, Hendrik Niemann is in the lurch. “The colleagues are really inventive,” says the 40-year-old, who heads the Automotive division at Elektrosil Systeme der Elektronik GmbH. “I keep wondering what they can think of.” One of the resourceful inventors was even a supporter of an edition of the ZDF cult show “Wetter, dass...”. With bow and arrow a modern Robin Hood shot at slices of bread which were thrown up from a toaster high into the hall ceiling by the Elektrosil technician. Niemann's soft spot is patents. At the end of May his 18th since 2013 was published, he had submitted it in November two years ago. The Innovation and Patent Center (IPC) in the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce named it Patent of the Month. “The invention concerns a process for air-conditioning a residential area of a person with an air-conditioning module,” says the official patent application. Niemann puts it like this: “We want the driver to feel as comfortable as possible in his or her seat.” The feel-good and comfort zone on four wheels. “I enjoy filing patents. I like to broaden my horizons and create something new,” said the industrial engineer. However, Niemann does not approach his work with the firm intention of making an invention: “I observe for a long time, talk to colleagues. But in the end, it's based on me having a flash of inspiration overnight.” For twelve years, Niemann has been working for the 125-strong Hamburg-Altona based group of companies, which is very active in medical technology and vending machines. Recently Elektrosil grew strongly in the automotive sector. 40 percent of the total turnover is generated by the medium-sized company founded in 1977 and still owner-managed - and the trend is rising. Customers for products such as fans, control parts and displays include Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler. Niemann previously worked for EBM-Papst, the German market leader for fans. Making cars better is his passion. But engine power and speed are of little interest to Niemann. “200 horsepower won't do you any good if you're stuck in traffic.” The goal of the native Lüneburger, who was first product manager for fans and ventilators at Elektrosil, is an intelligent and networked vehicle. Its automatic climate seat, for which a worldwide patent has been applied, helps to master the challenge. “The whole car is no longer air-conditioned, but a climate cocoon is created for the driver or passenger,” explains Niemann. An air film generated by the module flows around the passenger. “Because sitting comfort is an essential point,” Niemann knows. And when do you sit well? “If you don't notice anything.” Without pressure marks, sweating or neck tension. The system, which is controlled by temperature and humidity sensors, detects when the passengers want heat and cold to be brought in according to their wishes. Colleagues from the development and design departments supported Niemann in the implementation. “The system built into the seat permanently adjusts to the driver's needs without having to readjust,” Niemann said. Get in, choose your own comfort zone, and the technology does the rest. This is a novelty and the invention is also price-competitive. “We couldn't develop anything on a blue haze,” Niemann said. According to his calculations, the new technology saves almost 30 percent energy due to its efficiency. This is particularly important for electric and hybrid vehicles, as it increases their range. “Combustion engines will continue to exist,” says Niemann, “but the future belongs to electric propulsion.” However, it will take some time before the Elektrosil invention can be found in the cars of the major manufacturers. “I'm counting on it for 2025,” Niemann says. “It takes so long to develop new cars because of lead times.” But then customers can enjoy real comfort and a comfortable on-board climate. “The semi-autonomous driving brings many freedoms”, Niemann promises, “you can for example read while driving, watch movies, sleep, do something else that gives you pleasure”. Rotatable seats will often be represented in the models. But Niemann is not satisfied with this, he is already thinking about further innovations. Battery cooling, for example, or ventilation of fuel cells in electrically powered vehicles. “I'm motivated by the upheaval,” he says. “I'll keep looking at which things can be recombined.” (Clemens Gerlach, Hamburger Wirtschaft, Issue 11/2018, Trends, Pages 42/43, http://hamburger-wirtschaft.de/pdf/112018/42/index.html#zoom=z)      

Elektrosil at Embedded World 2019

  For the third time Elektrosil took part at Embedded World this year and introduced itself with its subsidiary MCS Micronic Computersystem as a powerful development partner. The trade fair, which this year was held under the motto "Embedded Intelligence", counted around 31,000 trade visitors, the second best visitor result since the trade fair was held, and 1,117 companies from all over the world visited the Nuremberg Exhibition Center on an exhibition area that had grown by eight percent. At the booth, visitors had the opportunity to learn more about the interdisciplinary possibilities of the Elektrosil Group and to show the performance spectrum of our hardware and software developments, the production depths as well as development results and products for some applications: Access control, controllers, human-machine interfaces and cooling solutions. The portfolio ranged from touch and display to thermal printers, cooling and power supply to embedded and connectivity solutions. Employees from both companies demonstrated solution-oriented engineering on site using selected exhibits and in personal discussions.              

Charging station for e-mobile put into operation on company premises

  After receiving one of 50 e-Golfs as part of the “Electro mobility - Hamburg drives with green energy” campaign a year ago, we now have our own charging station on our premises in Altona. The charging station also contains controller units from the development of our Berlin subsidiary MCS, which has acquired special know-how in this area. The latest development from MCS is the Automatic Phase Switch (APUM) for decentralised charging points, which automatically manages the network load and thus ensures sufficient charging capacity and more network stability and also eliminates the need for infrastructure investments in the billions.      

Tailor-made system solutions from a single source: Elektrosil at Embedded World 2019 Elektrosil presents tailor-made engineering solutions at the Embedded World from 26th to 28th February in Nuremberg, Germany. With its subsidiary MCS Micronic Computersystem, the specialist for electronics and electromechanics presents itself at the world's leading trade fair as a powerful development partner and forward-thinking company. Combination for fast development processes On the basis of first-class interdisciplinary engineering, the Elektrosil group of companies implements customer-specific solutions. Customers benefit from high-quality systems with rapid development, design, testing and approval processes and comprehensive production and logistics services. From hardware to interface - a lot of know-how for applications At the booth, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the interdisciplinary possibilities of the Elektrosil Group. We are pleased to be able to show you the performance spectrum of our hardware and software developments, the production depths as well as development results and products for some applications: Access Control, Controls, Human-Machine-Interfaces and Cooling Solutions. The portfolio ranges from touch and display to thermal printers, cooling and power supply, embedded and connectivity solutions. Employees demonstrate solution-oriented engineering on site using selected exhibits and in personal discussions.

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Elektrosil is looking forward to seeing you at BOOTH 221 in HALL 1.

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You don't have a ticket yet? No problem. Register online and receive your free electronic ticket (season ticket) by e-mail with the voucher code A401445. This gives you direct access to Embedded World 2019 without waiting times.

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CLICK HERE to order your free electronic trade fair ticket with VOUCHER CODE A401445

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Would you like an appointment on site? You're welcome to call me and I'll coordinate it for you: Martina Freymuth, Assistant Sales & Marketing phone +494084000131 martina.freymuth@elektrosil.com We are looking forward to seeing you!

Seat ventilation with Peltier: optimum cooling capacity for every watt Seat ventilation with Peltier elements? At first glance, hardly any other technology appears to be less suitable for modern automotive engineering than the electrothermal converter with its known low efficiency. But the impression is misleading: with optimal design, Peltier elements make a considerable contribution to passenger comfort, because they can turn cooling into an aha experience. This whitepaper shows development managers how Peltier elements can be used in a balanced way in vehicle seat ventilation. With deliberately perceptible cooling effects, the electrothermal converters provide real added value for the automotive megatrend of "passenger comfort". Despite their low efficiency, the small, easily controllable elements that can be implemented as a 1-component solution offer many advantages. This text presents which factors are essential in their design for optimum cooling performance and how they are to be designed. German White Paper "Sitzbelüftung mit Peltier: optimale Kälteleistung für jedes Watt", PDF, 6 MB

Smart Engineering: Elektrosil & Partner presented themselves again at Embedded World 2018 As the leading trade fair for the international embedded community, it continued to grow in 2018: more trade visitors, more exhibitors, more space. 1,021 companies from all over the world showed the 32,217 (+7.3%) embedded experts from 77 countries in six halls, where the journey on the Internet of Things and the increasingly digitized world is going.

Compact flush-mounted power supply for the Smart Home

• 18–24 W
• Output voltages: 5,12,15 and 24 VDC
• High working temperature range: -25 to +70°C
• TÜV tested according to the household appliance standard EN60335
• IP65 protected
• Class II Design
• No load power consumption < 0,1 W
• Efficiency > 84 %

German data sheet „Optimale Stromversorgung für Ihre Anwendung: Kompakte Netzteile für Design-In oder als fertige Unterputznetzteile“ (PDF, 760 KB)  

Elektro mobility: Hamburg goes ahead – with Elektrosil on board

  As part of the mobility partnership between the Volkswagen Group and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg that has existed since August 2016, 50 fully electric Volkswagen e-Golf cars were put into operation today at Hamburg’s Fischmarkt and handed over to their new owners, including Elektrosil. Over the next three years, these vehicles are expected to cover a total of around 1.5 million kilometers in Hamburg’s city area without local emissions as a pioneering example of clean, intelligent mobility in Hamburg. The more conventional diesel or gasoline vehicles are replaced by all-electric technology, the more effective the substitution effect for urban air quality will be. Hamburg therefore uses electric vehicles across brands and manufacturers for a broad network of commercial enterprises, administrative offices and increasingly also private individuals. The deployment of these vehicles under the motto e-Drive Hamburg 2018 is supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).    

Full engineering bandwidth for smart controls: Elektrosil with New Vision Display at Embedded World 2017 Intelligent solutions In the field of embedded systems Elektrosil presents from 14th to 16th March 2017 at the Embedded World. The production partner New Vision Display (NVD) is a co-exhibitor at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. Elektrosil has been cooperating with the specialist for display solutions since 2014. Both exhibitors will jointly present current developments and products in the field of system solutions: Exhibits include HMI solutions, customer-specific displays and a (salt)water-resistant touch application as well as embedded boards, modules and box PCs. Screen protectors for mobile devices as well as LEDs, OLEDs and power supplies round off the range of technologies. Comprehensive development and services At the booth, Elektrosil will give an overview of the entire embedded portfolio of product, hardware and software solutions, which will be realized together with the subsidiary MCS Micronic Computer Systeme GmbH. This includes embedded developments and management systems - for operating systems and mobile devices. In addition, Elektrosil offers a wide range of development, test and inspection services for demanding applications in areas such as POS, digital signage or medical technology. Discuss project ideas - find solutions At the Embedded World booth, everything revolves around the development of intelligent systems. Elektrosil is the solution partner for almost every application. Guests have ample opportunity to discuss project ideas and requirements with qualified staff in a quiet atmosphere. Elektrosil and NVD are looking forward to all visitors.

Precise System Requirements - the Basis for Lean Development Complex products convince with intelligent functions and a high degree of networking. But before their realization, developers ask themselves many questions: Are all customer needs mapped? How does Lean Production succeed? Systems Engineering provides a smart strategy for planning these technical systems in a forward-looking and cost-friendly manner by analyzing the system requirements. The whitepaper shows how developers define system requirements for new products. Key steps such as the early development of a test strategy or simulation as a planning tool will be presented. Readers will learn which factors contribute to a more cost-effective and effective production as well as to a higher adherence to delivery dates. German White Paper "Exakte Systemanforderungen – die Basis für Lean Development", PDF, 827 KB

Development of application-specific HMIs - Challenges, Steps, Potentials Whether for a new device or product relaunch - the development of a new HMI influences and changes the entire application. The user interface defines to a large extent the degree of usability, gives the application its own feel and gives it a "face". It offers the possibility for the special feature - and so an own, specific HMI is a coveted device component today. But how to proceed? This white paper shows what is important in development, when entrepreneurial personal contribution makes sense and helps to assess development partners. Application-specific Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) are becoming more and more common. The complex devices optimize the operation of machines and underline the positioning of companies as user-friendly - or not. This white paper shows which services are necessary for the development of an own HMI and what has to be paid attention to. All necessary steps from the software-side display integration to the tuning of the touch sensor are presented in the document. Companies can find out which areas a company's own developer can cover and from when it is recommended to get support from an external HMI expert. German White Paper "Entwicklung anwendungsspezifischer HMIs – Herausforderungen, Schritte, Potentiale", PDF, 1 MB