With a legacy spanning more than 50 years, Penny + Giles is a recognised leader in the design and manufacture of joysticks, sensors and industrial solenoids. It has extensive experience in providing solutions for monitoring and control under extreme operating conditions and its range of joystick controllers and position sensors are used throughout the off-highway industry, from agricultural vehicles and backhoe excavators, to lift trucks and powered access platforms.
Joystick Controllers
Penny + Giles’ range of finger- and hand-operated joystick controllers are designed and developed for smooth, precise control of critical functions where a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) is required. Available in single-, dual- or multiple-axis configurations and with ergonomic handle styles to enable superb proportional control, each model has a range of selectable options for the most comprehensive joystick-to-application matching.
An option that is proving increasingly popular with many OEM’s, and one that Penny & Giles believes has become the benchmark for joystick controller sensing technology, is the use of contactless, Hall effect sensors to monitor the joystick lever position in multiple axes. These sensors not only provide reliable and accurate output signals and benefit from a second output to enable error checking of system integrity but also, for example, triple the operational life of the company’s JC6000 from an already impressive five million operations, to more than 15 million!
A relative newcomer to the JC6000 range is a heavy-duty, single-axis version. The new higher-strength, return-to-centre joystick is ideal for use in arduous conditions or applications including heavy agricultural machinery where high ‘Across-Axis’ loads can be an issue.
The increased strength of the heavy-duty JC6000 is achieved by redesigning the body casting, which the company claims has increased across-axis fatigue life by a factor of five. The heavy-duty version also uses a new gaiter to accommodate the increased strength of the body casting.
The heavy-duty JC6000 is available with long-life potentiometer track sensors with auxiliary contacting directional switch tracks; single/dual non-contact Hall effect sensors (or a combination of both); Can (J1939) and Can-Extended input interfaces; and is designed to share all standard JC6000 handles and grips.
Another recent introduction is the single-axis JC1500, which has evolved from the JC6000 and is designed for heavy duty applications such as specialist off-highway vehicles and aerial work lifts and platforms, especially where reliability and strength are required.
The rugged, low-profile design of the JC1500 (53mm under-panel depth) complements the existing JC150 range of potentiometer-based joysticks. In addition, for easy and modification-free replacement or upgrade, the JC1500 uses the same panel mountings and is designed to share the same range of handles and grips, as JC150 and JC6000 models.
Penny + Giles is also developing a new heavy-duty joystick controller – the JC8000 – with all-round, high-strength features that will make it ideal for applications such as skid-steer loaders, where operators typically use hydraulic joysticks. This new model will be more compact than equivalent strength electronic joysticks and will include Hall-effect sensing technology, with under-panel electronics fully protected to IP69K.
Contactless Rotary Position Sensors
The company’s extensive range of rotary position sensors offer angle measurements from 10° to 360° and use Hall effect, inductive or potentiometric technologies, all packaged in compact or rugged housings, with environmental protections to IP68 and IP69K. Its dual-output, contactless range has been specially developed to meet the operating requirements of many industrial position sensing applications in the general engineering, automation and process control sectors.
Designed with 21st century applications in mind, Penny + Giles contactless rotary position sensors use the latest advances in 12bit Hall effect sensing technology and are factory-programmed to provide OEM’s with a variety of previously unavailable options. These include single- or dual-redundant outputs, clockwise or anticlockwise rotation and measurement angles from 0-20° to 0-360° in 1° increments.
Most models can withstand operating temperatures between -40°C and +140°C (+170°C for 72 hours for NRH/TPS models); are tested to resist severe shock and vibration; and have an EMC immunity of 100V/m.
The sensors are designed to operate from a 5Vdc regulated or 9 - 30Vdc supply; and outputs can be PWM or analog voltage (nominal 0.5 - 4.5Vdc) over the measurement range, with clockwise or anticlockwise shaft rotation. A choice of 341 different electrical angles from 20° to 360° are possible and 12bit resolution (0.025%) is available over the selected measuring range with a non-linearity better than ±0.4% and temperature stability better than ±50ppm/°C. The sensor’s analog output option has a very low output noise level of less than 1mV rms.
Contactless Linear Position Sensors
Penny + Giles’ comprehensive range of linear position sensors also use Hall effect, inductive or potentiometric technologies and cover measurement ranges from 10 to 5000mm. A choice of models and mounting configurations, including embedded in-cylinder linear transducers, suit a wide range of hostile industrial applications.
The company’s SLT190 is designed to provide reliable, fit-and-forget position sensing (up to 500mm) within a compact transducer size for the most arduous operating environments. It can withstand operating temperatures from -40 to +150°C, has been tested to withstand shocks to 10,000g and, with EMC Immunity of 100V/m, the SLT190 is suitable for the harshest of applications.
To minimise size and the impact on the overall system, separate signal conditioning electronics (EICT or EICTM) are housed in rugged IP66 or IP68 rated enclosures. The electronics module can be located up to 10m from the transducer, away from any hostile conditions (vibration, mechanical impact, temperature) that the position transducer may encounter during operation. The result is a more reliable transducer solution, easily installed and adjusted and more flexible in the choice of outputs - including voltage, current and digital PWM.
The Penny + Giles SLH100 has been specifically designed to provide precision, cost-effective position sensing using the contactless Hall effect principle, with the sensing system comprises only two parts: the sensor and the magnetic activator. As a fully encapsulated electronic device it is intended to compete with sealed potentiometers and inductive sensors.
This robust, maintenance-free and easy-to-fit sensor can be used for a variety of control applications and its durable design and absence of mechanical linkages makes this sensor attractive for use in harsh environments - where particles, moisture, temperature and vibration can be present.
Contactless Tilt Sensors
The company’s STT tilt sensor range uses solid-state 3D-MEMS technology to measure the sensor's inclination relative to earth's gravity. By using solid-state system-on-chip technology, the STT series provides distinct advantages in reliability, stability and compactness over fluid-based, electrolytic and pendulum operated sensors. For maximum flexibility this new range has a low power requirement of less than 6.5mA, so it can be used in hard-wired or battery-powered wireless systems.
The IP68-rated STT280 is supplied in a compact 28mm diameter corrosion-resistant body with crush proof inserts in the mounting flange. The larger STT500 is supplied in a rugged, marine grade cast aluminium housing with a protection rating of IP69K.
Both sensors can withstand operating temperatures from -40°C to +125°C and have been tested to withstand a 3m drop onto concrete (maximum 20,000g). They are available with a choice of measurement ranges from ±10°, ±20°, ±30° and ±60° and can operate from a 5Vdc regulated or 8 – 30Vdc unregulated power supply.
Sensor in Action
For a recent application, Penny + Giles is supplying its STT280 tilt sensors to Stellar Industries for a boom angle positioning application on its range of truck-mounted telescopic winch-line cranes.
The STT280 tilt sensors are being used on Stellar’s range of service/mechanic truck packages, which feature telescopic winch-line cranes mounted on service truck bodies. These vehicles are typically used by utility and municipal companies and related service industries requiring heavy lifting over long ranges. The truck-mounted cranes offer lifting capabilities from 29,500 foot pounds capacity (capable of lifting 5,000 pounds at approximately six feet) to 82,600 foot pounds, which are capable of lifting 14,000 pounds at five feet. All models feature a boom elevation from -5 to +80 degrees.
Stellar’s 5521 telescopic crane is the first model in the range to feature the Penny + Giles tilt sensors and the first to use Stellar’s CDT™ (Crane Dynamics Technology™) control system. It offers a maximum 5,000 pound capacity at 5’ 9” in boost mode, has a 21-foot reach and offers two options: a ‘one hydraulic/one manual’ extension version and the company’s all-new ‘two hydraulic’ extension version.
Commenting on the choice of Penny + Giles tilt sensors, Stellar’s sales and marketing manager Sean Moran says: “The main reason for specifying the STT280 is the compact design, which allows us to mount them in discreet locations on the cranes. A close look at the company itself also showed that Penny + Giles products are used extensively in defence and military applications, confirming that their products are robust and manufactured to an extremely high quality. This makes them ideal for the arduous operating environments demanded of our telescopic crane systems.”
The STT280 tilt sensors are integral to Stellar’s CDT smart control system. They are used to measure the angle of the telescopic boom, enabling the CDT to calculate the load on the crane and transmit the data from the sensor to a handheld controller. This controller features a graphical user interface that uses multiple sensory indicators (coloured LED lights and pulsating vibrations) to alert operators of increasing loads before an overload situation occurs. The use of cyclical vibrations in the controller ensures that the operator is always aware of approaching maximum capacity, while still being able to monitor the load itself. Before the tilt sensors were installed the only safety system in place was a pressure sensor on the hydraulic system that would shut the crane down as it reached a defined load.
Summarising, Sean Moran says this is the first time this type of telescopic system has used tilt sensor technology to relay crane condition and operation to the operator, which puts Stellar and Penny + Giles at the forefront of service crane technology in the US market.
New levels of sophistication
The latest developments in sensing and control system technology are bringing a whole new level of sophistication to vehicle controls, resulting in much more efficient operation. Highly reliable signals from the latest joystick and sensor developments, combined with intuitive control system software, mean that off-highway vehicles and their equipment can be tuned to optimise performance to individual applications. At the touch of a few buttons, routine operations can be performed at high speed with minimal fatigue, delivering considerably better productivity from both vehicle and operator.
Involving component suppliers such as Penny + Giles at the earliest possible stage of vehicle development often produces the most cost-effective solution in the shortest possible development time. This is achieved by combining Penny + Giles’ vast experience of the type and layout of equipment controls with the more subjective input of OEM engineering and marketing departments.
