Engineering Services Test Engineering PrecisionFTS

Precision FTS (Fatigue Test System)

The Precision FTS is compact rugged advanced embedded control and data acquisition system designed for applications for stress and fatigue testing where long term high performance and reliability are required. The core hardware consists of a National Instruments Compact RIO which combines an embedded real-time processor, a high-performance FPGA, and hot-swappable I/O modules.

The hardware platform provides an extensive range of I/O modules that can be tailored for a specific set of test requirements, enabling connection to many types of sensors. (Strain, temperature, pressure speed, noise, vibration etc..). The I/O modules connect to the FPGA, providing low-level customisation of timing and I/O signal processing, which via a high speed bus is connected to the embedded real-time processor.

cRIO The platform provides real-time monitoring & analysis on its embedded processor enabling long periods of unattended operation without the need of user interaction, allowing the test recipe to run autonomously. The hardware platform also allows the use of running "headless" For example a user interface may run on a separate PC which can be rebooted anytime without affecting the test in progress, and where upon the connection can be re-established.

FTS Software.

The core application software running on the Compact RIO is based on proven technologies to acquire data, process, monitor, perform algorithms and data logging. The system can provide a level of control to setup and run the application as well as perform in closed loop systems (PID).

FTSMonitor

Data is streamed from the Compact RIO to a host system where the human interface can be tailored specifically for the customer needs.

Warnings and Limits can be visually displayed for the operator, and the operator can set these warnings & errors for the CRIO to act in real-time while acquiring data so the software can action some control to possibly support some level of safety or non-damage to critical systems & components.

The CRIO allows the user to use a USB drive which provides a data space to save large amounts of data. Tracking is also important so in an event of a power failure allows you to continue from where it last saved its position.

Common parts of the operator interface usually includes user manager, calibration manager, database management, report manager, test recipe manager, test interface with the acquired streaming data and with reporting outputs to formats like HTML, MS Excel. The core components of these common parts are based on proven technologies, which allow us to easily adapt them to required specifications.

calmanager

Remote monitoring allows a user to view the current system data through web interface/technologies, on a standard web browser.

Key Features:

The controller runs stand alone without user interface always being required
Hardware is COTS where possible
The controller is a real time operating system
Can operate on a local network to enable communication with other devices & system components
Calibrate - Setup - Static Testing - Dynamic Testing all in 1 package

Key Features of the Compact RIO system are:

Small, rugged embedded control and data acquisition system
Powered by National Instruments LabVIEW graphical programming tools for rapid development
Features embedded real-time processor for reliable stand-alone or distributed operation
Integrates an embedded FPGA chip that provides the flexibility, performance, and reliability of custom hardware
Includes hot-swappable industrial I/O modules with built-in signal conditioning for direct connection to a variety of sensors and actuators
galvanic isolation between modules and the chassis which is very attractive in a distributed system where ground loops and conducted noise may be a problem.
Features extreme industrial certifications and ratings:
-40 to 70 °C (-40 to 158 °F) operating temperature
50 g shock rating
International safety, EMC, and environmental certifications
Class I, Division 2 rating for hazardous locations
Dual 9 to 35 VDC supply inputs, low power consumption (7 to 10 W typical)

A wide range of Modules are available, typically the range can consist of the following specs and input/output.

Analog Input Modules - 4/8/16/32 channels, 12 to 24 Bit resolution. Modules cover application inputs of Voltage, Current, Qtr/Half/Full Bridge Strain, Thermocouples, RTD, IEPE Accelerometer etc..

Various speeds dependant upon the module from 15 s/s to 800 Ks/s.

Analog Output Modules - 4 channels 16Bit 100 ks/s 0-10V & 0-20mA

Digital Input/Output - 4/6/8/32 Channels, 5VTTL,24VDC,60VDC,250AC. PWM Signals.

Various specialty cards also exist, CAN, GPS etc..

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