FARGO, N.D. • Omid Beik, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NDSU, has been granted a patent by the European Patent Office.

Beik’s invention of an electric-powered landing gear system paves the way for electrification of accessory components in heavy-duty industry. Referred to as “eDrive-Phi,” it includes a three-phase outer-rotor electric motor using rare-earth permanent magnets, a digitally implemented sensor-less controller and a chain-and-sprocket function that fully automates landing gear legs for a semi-truck, and heavy-duty machineries that use landing legs.

“With just a push of a button, the landing gear is raised and lowered in less than 20 seconds,” Beik said.

Existing commercially available landing gear systems use a hand-crank handle to lower or raise the landing gear legs. This manually intensive practice is time consuming and can cause injuries.

Beik has filed for patents on similar inventions in the U.S. and Canada. He hopes the breakthrough will accelerate electrification of heavy duty and agricultural industries and improve the health and wellbeing of North Dakota farmers and truckers who operate these landing gears on a regular basis.

Beik has prototyped and successfully tested his invention in the field. He is working with landing gear manufacturers and hopes to bring the electric landing gear into commercial use in the near future.