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14
ot even hinges are what they used to
be. Their task has remained largely
the same ever since automobiles were
invented and Edscha began equipping them:
that task is reliable and flexible connection of
car body parts. However, the demands on
their service life and safety, their functionality
and their comfort have risen enormously.
ELECTRIFYING OPENING
Consequently, the design engineers of the
Edscha Hinge Systems Division have for
years been working on new and improved,
more comfortable opening systems: from pan-
tographic side doors and sliding doors (pages
18 f.) to multipiece rear lids and extending
load compartment floors. They haven’t
neglected the driver motors either: in Sep-
tember the first electrically powered rear lid
system from Edscha – the first of its kind in
the market – goes into production.
Design chief Andreas Polz explains the
advantages for drivers: “Our system
offers distinctly more comfort than
the usual electrohydraulic
systems, since the trunk lid
control is more sensitive and
the lid responds reliably even
at ambient temperatures of minus 40 or plus
80 degrees Celsius. Not least, the stalled-con-
dition detection feature developed by us and
based on Hall sensors sets new standards in
software-controlled sensitivity and variabili-
ty.” The OEM will also notice the advantages:
up to 30 percent lower costs, in part thanks to
the use of a special Edscha motor, as well as a
step towards independence from hydraulic
ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN REAR LIDS Trunk lids that open and close at
the push of a button – more and more car owners appreciate this kind of comfort.
Edscha engineers have developed a particularly economical and comfortable
electric solution that will go into production in the autumn of 2003.
fluids, which have to be disposed of at con-
siderable expense to comply with the end-of-
life vehicle regulations.
Even in comparison with other electric-
only drives, the Edscha system affords clear
advantages: the drive integrated in the popup
hinge permits stopping and reversing the
direction of motion at any time. Motor power
is controlled by means of pulse-width modu-
lation (PWM) depending on temperature; and
a voltage equalizer ensures practically con-
stant operation irrespective of battery charge
level. Although a trouble-prone and cost-rais-
ing coupling was dispensed with, opening and
closing the trunk lid is nonetheless child’s
play if ever the vehicle power supply fails.
INVOLVOED
The system was installed in a test car by mid
2002. The first to be convinced by Polz to
employ a customized version of the Edscha
system was Volvo – in the ‘Versatility Con-
cept Car’, Volvo’s highlight at the 2003 Gene-
va Motor Show. The Scandinavian designers
set particular store by stylish, comfortable
cruising in this forward-looking high-class
station wagon. Edscha hinges feature not only
in the electrically operated rear lid, but also in
the hinges to the side doors which open in
opposing directions.
However, the Edscha system will first be
entering the market in a different make. As of
autumn 2003, Korean manufacturer Ssang-
yong, a former subsidiary of the Daewoo
group, will be fitting out its flagship ‘Chair-
man’ with it. Several thousand of these luxury
cars annually – thanks to Ssangyong’s earlier
Built-in drive
N
POWERFUL
This is it how it looks, the pop-
up multilink hinge with inte-
grated electrical drive that pro-
vides much greater comfort
than conventional systems.