Heavy equipment specialist Goldhofer and braking expert Knorr-Bremse have joined forces to make Knorr-Bremse’s intelligent Trailer Access Point (iTAP) system available in vehicles with hydraulic suspension.
According to Goldhofer, the iTAP system can now be fitted to the company’s independent MPA suspension, allowing drivers to control it remotely via smartphone.
As a result, drivers can now remain in the cab to change parameters such as a ride height, explained Volker Schmidt, Chief Design Engineer at Goldhofer.
“In addition to intelligent axle control with four pre-programmed and two freely programmable axle heights, the iTAP module also offers the driver permanent tyre pressure and temperature monitoring. If a tyre is damaged, the system automatically generates an alarm.”
He added, “Since the iTAP module is installed directly on the trailer as an extension to the EBS module and has its own WLAN, trailer functions can be controlled independently of the truck.”
According to Schmidt, the link between the driver’s smartphone and the iTAP access point is based on a secure connection and password-protected with the help of the brake pressure random number generator.
“I am delighted that we have been involved in the development work as the chosen partner of Knorr-Bremse and that we can once again offer our customers meaningful added value. It’s especially gratifying that the result has enabled us to take our exciting innovation, namely MPA Axle Technology, yet another step further,” commented Goldhofer CEO, Stefan Fuchs.
“We are a good match – at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show, we received the Trailer Innovation Award 2015 in the Chassis category for our revolutionary MPA Axle Technology, while our partner Knorr-Bremse received the award for its iTAP solution in the Smart Trailer category. Now we can offer customers the combined result of these two benchmarks.”