Curtis Introduces New Electric Power Steering Controller

August 2011, Mount Kisco, NY — Curtis Instruments announces the latest addition to its Motor Controllers line, the Model 1222 Electric Power Steering (EPS) Controller. The Model 1222 interfaces directly with the steering command input, wheel position feedback, and AC induction steering motor to create a seamless drive-by-wire system. The controller is designed for use in EPS applications in material handling and other light industrial vehicles. These include reach trucks, man-up warehouse trucks, order pickers, stackers, tow tractors and other industrial vehicles. This highly programmable controller employs a dual redundant configuration of all safety relevant parts, which satisfies EN1175-1 and the critical EN954-1 Category 3 safety requirements when used in a correctly configured system. Versatile steering input and position feedback options include dual redundant quadrature encoder, sin/cosine sensors or analog voltage inputs. Safety is ensured by a 5A high-side fault output driver consisting of 2 switches in parallel, each switch controlled by separate microprocessors with independent supervision. The Model 1222 accepts 24V – 48V system voltages and is rated to deliver 70 A RMS for a full 2 minutes. It is suitable for the control of AC induction gearmotors in the 300- 1500W power range. Primary features include closed-loop optimized performance in both absolute position and relative position control modes as well as configurable homing methods, center offset, auto-center and end-stop protection functions. This new controller features CANopen communications, allowing simple interfacing with the traction controller, system manager or other CANopen devices on the vehicle. It is fully programmable using Curtis handheld or PC software tools. A 35-pin AMPseal logic connector provides ample I/O, even for fully redundant configurations and helps ensure that the controller is sealed against ingress of dust and liquids to IP65 for use in harsh environments.

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