Operator safety was a key consideration for the hydraulic test rig. Hydraulic power packs
capable of delivering 360bar pressure or 180 l/m flow could do serious damage. Our solution's
design addressed these concerns.
Real Time Control
The safety critical system was built around an NI-PXI RT controller and LabView RT.
A time critical 50ms epoch for the control system which was able to guarantee
timely reaction to a change, such as a pressure surge in a fixed time frame.
C.B.I.T.
The CBIT or (C)ontinuous (B)uilt (I)n (T)est was designed to monitor active system
pressures, flows, voltages and currents.
Any deviation from normal caused the system to cut all power from
supplies, either hydraulic or electric.
Watchdog
In addition to the C.B.I.T., a watchdog relay governed all electrical controls for the
system. If there was ever a critical failure on the RT controller, this watchdog
relay ensured any active power to the control system would always be cut.
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