FEATURE TEST & MEASUREMENT
Meeting the measurement challenges of electric vehicles
In order to combat the issues of energy conservation, efficiency and sustainability, manufacturers must explore new test and measurement solutions for electrical vehicles
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n common with many other industries, the automotive industry - particularly the development of hybrid and electric vehicles - is very focused on the issues of energy conservation, efficiency and sustainability. This scenario is compounded by further constraints imposed by legislation based on national and international standards. To quantify these energy savings involves accurate measurement, presenting a challenge for manufacturers to come up with new test and measurement solutions. Within the development process of a
hybrid or electric vehicle, a number of electrical signals, as well as physical parameters related to mechanical performance, need to be measured as part of a complete test cycle. To obtain a
26 MARCH 2017 | ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
total understanding of the overall system performance, measurements have to be taken on the electromagnetic power converter, the power electronics, and data from the power-train management system, operating over a vehicle serial bus network like CAN. Moreover, these tests have to be carried out simultaneously to come to an overall optimum solution, rather than looking at single components individually. To carry out such measurements
requires a test instrument with a high channel count - typically up to 16 channels, but possibly many more, depending on the modules installed and the types of measurement involved. This enables the user to combine several sensor outputs, and isolated input channels, to measure the electrical quantities - often involving floating voltage levels – as well as physical parameters, such as temperature behaviour, vibration and stress on
materials, along with CAN bus signals. The tool also has to be able to perform real-time dynamic testing, including cycle-by-cycle analysis, real-time mathematics and the ability to trigger on calculated waveforms. A class of instruments that addresses these challenges is the ScopeCorder. This instrument combines the benefits of a high-speed oscilloscope with those of a traditional data acquisition recorder in a single, portable instrument. A ScopeCorder can capture and analyse Continued on page 30...
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