INtrODuCtION tO tHe mvsD
The idea came to life on a street car. The inventor dreaming up efficiency solutions for bicycle drivetrains. Deconstructing the status-quo, he arrived at the solution – having the gears move under the chain and not the chain over the sprockets. This would keep the chain and cogs in perfect alignment and also allow for shifting under load/weight. Immediately, he knew that there was a wide-range of applications for such a groundbreaking idea. The breakthrough concept of synchronizing the teeth of the chain with the cogs during a shift would enable the transmission to operate at the higher speeds required for applications beyond bicycles.
His idea has turned into a technology that has energy saving capabilities that surpass any of the latest electronic or mechanical variable speed technologies on the market.
The Mechatronic Variable Speed Drive (MVSD) is a wholly unique and robust innovation to the world of transmissions and variable speed drives. Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) are a class of mechanical or electronic technology that varies the speed of an electric (AC) motor in response to the demand placed on it by what it is moving.
Most electric motors are designed to be constant drives, meaning they only operate at 0 or 100% speed. Electric motors that move a variable load do not need to operate at full speed at all times. A VSD allows the motor to operate at the appropriate speeds for the relevant load requirement at all times. This allows the most efficient operation and so the least amount of energy consumption.
The MVSD accomplishes variable speed mechatronically (i.e. the combination of mechanical, computer, electrical and control engineering) and not electronically. The morphing sprocket of the MVSD is, simply put, unlike any other technology the world has seen. It is the world’s first Variable Speed Drive to combine the high efficiency of a fully keyed (toothed) driving mechanism with the continuity of a morphing sprocket. Its energy savings capability surpasses any of the latest electronic or mechanical variable speed technologies on the market. Until now, our unique combination of advanced technologies has not been possible. Recent advancements in engineering have allowed our combination of technologies to exist. We combine:
•Electrical Engineering
•Mechanical Engineering
•Computer Software Engineering
•Control Engineering
These operate together with such speed and efficiency, never before possible, to make mechatronics a leading solution to the problem of energy consumption and the increasingly-burdensome costs that accompany it.
