【When the Winter Olympics are in progress】Winter Olympic snow wax car: "from scratch to excellent", compose a new achievement of "China's intelligent manufacturing"

Image credit Lightning News

On the white snow, a seemingly ordinary red box card is like a Transformer, quickly stretching out nearly 100 square meters of space. Inside, there are not only waxing tables, snowboard storage cabinets, but also areas for athletes to warm up and rest, like a mobile snow logistics base. This is the world's largest single-decker van area of the snow wax car, but also China's independent research and development, with a complete independent intellectual property rights of the first snow wax car.

Waxing snowboards is a very important service technique in skiing. The waxed snowboard is like a "car with a very light steering wheel", which not only helps athletes save energy, but also makes it easier to maneuver. In large international competitions, many ice and snow powers will provide special waxing vehicles for their competitors. Previously, China has been a blank in the field of snow wax vehicles.

In only 11 months, the first domestic snow wax car independently developed by Shandong Province that integrates a new generation of information technology was officially rolled off the production line in September 2021, and the three stations of the FIS points series of the International Snow Federation cross-country skiing have been successfully completed. Today, the snow wax truck has arrived in Beijing to make the final preparations for the national cross-country skiing team to attack the Winter Olympics.

In just 11 months, winter sports equipment achieved a breakthrough of zero

During the skiing process, the snowboard rubs against the snow surface to generate heat, and the melted snow forms a film of water, which will damage the snowboard and reduce the speed of sliding. In intense racing competitions like skiing, a 0.01-second gap can cost athletes a medal. Therefore, professionals are needed to wax the snowboard according to the temperature, humidity, and snow condition.

Previously, Chinese athletes did not have their own snow wax cars, and could only operate in the open air, or rent simple flat rooms. "In the past, when we went to compete abroad, we usually waxed like a barbecue in the open space next to the venue; in the better conditions, we used containers as temporary waxing rooms." Wang Yan, deputy leader of the national cross-country skiing training team, said.

In order to fill the gap in China's snow wax vehicle equipment and improve the service guarantee level of the national team of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, in November 2020, the State General Administration of Sport entrusted Shandong to carry out the development of snow wax vehicles. Shandong Province has set up a joint research headquarters of snow wax vehicles with two vice governors as the commander-in-chief, which has gathered more than ten units and more than 1,000 people, such as the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Shandong Province, the Sports Bureau of Shandong Province, the Science and Technology Department of Shandong Province, China National Heavy Duty Truck, Shandong Industrial Design and Research Institute, Taishan Sports Industry Group, Haier, and Hisense.

"China's most dazzling first snow wax car, representing the highest level of Shandong manufacturing!" On December 10, 2021, at a press conference held by the Information Office of the People's Government of Shandong Province, Ling Wen, vice governor of Shandong Province, said emotionally when introducing the Shandong snow-made wax car. Just like the "Chinese National Team" printed on the body of the snow wax carriage, the significance of this car is of great significance, representing a new breakthrough in China's winter sports equipment.

"When I first heard about this mission, everyone didn't even know what a snow wax car was, let alone make it." Recalling the research and development process of the first domestic snow wax car, Guan Xiaoyan, secretary general of the Beijing Winter Olympics Snow Wax Car Joint Research Project Headquarters and director of the Light Industry and Textile Industry Division of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Shandong Province, had a lot of feelings in an interview with reporters.

Without the guidance of technical experts, without drawing inquiries, without real car references, the design work is like a difficult puzzle; the carriage must maintain its operating ability in a low temperature environment of minus tens of degrees, and achieve a high degree of integration in the limited external space... For the R&D team, in 11 months, the completion of the product from scratch, from the existential to the excellent leap, the challenge is huge.

"Everyone is the first time to explore the construction of snow wax cars, such as toilets, shower rooms, lifting platforms, at the beginning of the design of these functions did not have. Under the repeated communication and demonstration of the project team, these functions are complete. In the stage of program demonstration and technical demonstration, the project team repeatedly discussed the improvement, and only two hours of sleep a day when the most nervous. Liu Xiping, deputy director of the special vehicle design department of the Application Engineering Development Center of China National Heavy Duty Truck Group, told reporters, "In the whole process, it took more than 4 months to repeatedly demonstrate and adjust the program review and technical design." 79 patents were sorted out throughout the project development process. The design data of the snow wax car saved by China National Heavy Duty Truck Group on the computer is as many as a few hundred G, and the waxing table in the snow wax car alone has been repeatedly modified 6 times, and the design drawings of the towing head of the snow wax car have been drawn more than 600 times. ”

The command headquarters took the units involved in research and development to study and investigate, and consulted with the wax division of the national team for many times, and gradually established the cognition of snow wax vehicles, so that the prototype of China's snow wax vehicles was born. It took only 11 months from design, research and development to manufacturing of China's snow wax car, and on September 26, 2021, China's snow wax car was officially delivered off the production line.

"When the whole vehicle is deployed and used, it is about 20 meters long, about 8 meters wide after unfolding, and the effective usable area reaches 92.5 square meters, and we have designed the waxer work area, the athlete warm-up area, the rest room, the storage area, including the functional area of the toilet, the shower room, and the electric lifting platform for disabled athletes, which is currently the largest single-layer unfolding area and the most integrated function of the snow wax car in the world!" Guan Xiaoyan is like a number of family treasures.

Three highlights, reflecting the new achievements of "China's intelligent manufacturing"

China's independently developed Winter Olympic snow wax car is a "big guy" weighing more than 50 tons, which looks "unremarkable" on the outside, but hides "great wisdom" inside.

"Big" is the first impression given by the snow wax car from a distance. As soon as you walk in the door, you will find that not only is it large, but the interior space is also large. During the snow wax car, the van is 35 square meters, but the body is fully expanded when working, and the area can reach 92.5 square meters. It is currently the largest known space in the world for snow wax vehicles.

The snow wax truck is not only the workshop of the waxer, but also the preparation room and leisure room for athletes to warm up before the game, store the snowboard, rest and recreation. The carriage space is divided into outdoor warm-up area, snowboard waxing area, snowboard storage area, work temporary rest area, oxygen-enriched rest and entertainment area, snow wax storage area, sanitary shower room seven functional areas, the car is equipped with VR entertainment, biochemical toilet, smart home, training equipment, audio and other equipment, for athletes and waxers to provide a comfortable and convenient environment, is currently known to be the most full-featured snow wax car.

The snow wax car is not so much a car as a new intelligent space tailored to the low-temperature environment and integrating a new generation of information technology, which is also the core intention of "intelligent manufacturing".

A 32-inch electronic screen standing next to the waxing table is the "wisdom hub" of the entire snow wax car. The electronic screen integrates the two functions of monitoring and control, monitoring air quality parameters, temperature, humidity, water heater, etc., not only so that all functions of the box can achieve one-button switch, such as vehicle photovoltaic, car air conditioning, etc., but also guide the waxer to match the snowboard with the most scientific wax type and grinding method.

Compared with the foreign upper exhaust scheme, the lower exhaust system of this snow wax truck in China optimizes the structure of the fan, shortens the air duct distance, can make it more suction, higher exhaust efficiency, and quickly suck away harmful substances produced in the waxing process. The relevant person in charge of Haier Kaos told reporters that in order to solve the problems of low temperature thermal start in the car and narrow installation environment, Haier Commercial Air Conditioning has applied for a total of 6 new invention patents, including solving the control detection of low temperature heating start of the machine, electric heating opening, new fan with internal circulation function, control method for controlling low-voltage failure of air conditioning low temperature heating start, etc.; Based on the custom design module of the COSMOPlat industrial Internet platform of Kaos, it provides one-stop safe and reliable healthy air solutions for snow wax vehicles.

"All the sports equipment on the snow wax truck has been intelligently improved according to the characteristics of winter sports and the needs of athletes." Gao Aidong, general manager of the new business department of Taishan Sports Industry Group, told reporters that through the allocation of intelligent sports equipment, it is necessary to create an integrated, intelligent and all-scenario mode of athletes' own epidemic prevention safety, physical condition analysis, warm-up, training and recovery. In addition, Taishan Sports also equipped the snow wax car with an AI intelligent physique detection machine, which is based on computer vision recognition technology to provide accurate physical fitness data for athletes around the world.

The "display scheme" in the snow wax car is also not to be underestimated. According to Hisense Video, the environment of the winter Olympics ice and snow competition puts forward extremely high requirements for display equipment, and it is necessary to achieve excellent picture quality effects in minus 30 °C, outdoor high brightness, wind and snow. In order to ensure the operational reliability of the low temperature environment, Hisense Vision U7G-PRO is specially equipped with low temperature resistant glass panels and low temperature materials, and has carried out sufficient laboratory low temperature tests to ensure that it can achieve excellent display results at minus 30 °C.

In fact, this car is not only "smart", but also practices the concept of "green Olympics". It is understood that the snow wax car uses hydrogen fuel power traction head, equipped with the largest power hydrogen fuel cell in China, zero emission and zero pollution; another hybrid traction head enabled under some conditions adopts the international leading 50% thermal efficiency engine, which can reduce fuel consumption by 15% under the same working conditions and achieve energy saving and emission reduction.

Wherever the national team goes, the snow wax car follows

Guaranteeing the national team training competition is destined to travel a long way through mountains and rivers. Not long ago, at the FIS points series of international snow federation cross-country skiing, China's first self-developed snow wax car debuted in the first place.

"Our own snow wax car is so nice!" This is the heartfelt sigh of the athletes of the national cross-country skiing team after boarding the Chinese snow wax car. Terje, a waxer at the cross-country skiing team, praised the waxing table light-chasing system: "This is really very useful, compared to the waxing environment that can only be observed with ambient light in the past, the adjustable light source can now facilitate the waxer to observe the skis at different angles, avoiding subtle waxing flaws that affect the performance of the skis." ”

During the guarantee period of Xinjiang Hot Spring Station in the points race, the wind and snow were extremely fierce in the wilderness of the northwest border of the motherland. However, there is no sign of winter in the snow wax car, and the waxer is wearing a single suit, waving tools and methodically waxing the skis in the rhythm of the music in the car.

Since the first domestic snow wax car was delivered for use, it has traveled more than 10,000 kilometers with the national team to Xinjiang, Hebei, Shanghai, Beijing and other places. In the process of guaranteeing the three stations of Xinjiang Hot Spring Station, Hebei Chongli Station and Shanghai Yangpu Station, it has withstood the tests of long-distance driving, plateau climate, low ice and snow, strong wind and bad weather, etc., the snow wax truck has 24 hours of uninterrupted power supply and heating, and 6 waxing equipment provides a high-quality equipment foundation for waxers.

It is understood that this snow wax car has applied for a total of 79 patents, including 22 invention patents, which is not only a key equipment to support the training and competition of the national team of the Beijing Winter Olympics, but also will serve the national team for a long time.

A few days ago, the snow wax truck has arrived in Beijing to make the final preparation support for the national cross-country skiing team to impact the Winter Olympics. During the Beijing Winter Olympics, this snow wax car will witness the historical moment of the Olympic athletes' brave achievements with the world.

Source: China Electronic News

Reporter: Qi Xu