TEST & MEASUREMENT FEATURE
LIFE-SAVING VEHICLE TESTS made easier with onboard DTI technology
Kistler describes how DTI technology can deliver improved measurement results, lower costs and shorter test times in vehicle safety testing as well as vehicle dynamics and durability tests
V
ehicle tests play a crucial part in the automobile industry: they are essential
to verify key criteria for vehicle dynamics, tyres, durability and vehicle safety. Before a vehicle can go into series production, the manufacturer has to guarantee that the entire vehicle – as well as its individual components – are safe and resilient. Vehicle producers and OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) carry out lengthy series of complex tests to measure the main physical variables, which are then evaluated to improve ongoing vehicle development work. Precise measurements are the top
priority in vehicle tests, so test configurations and equipment have to meet demanding requirements. Back in 1959, Kistler began developing its groundbreaking piezoelectric measurement and sensor technology to capture data on pressure, force, torque and acceleration. Nowadays, holistic measurement and data acquisition solutions developed by this Swiss family-owned company are in operation across the globe.
SENSOR TECHNOLOGY Sensor technology is an essential factor in dummies for vehicle safety crash tests especially when it comes to vehicle safety. Crash tests deliver in-depth knowledge about the structural and energy absorption behaviour of a vehicle and its components. They also show how a collision can potentially impact the vehicle’s occupants. Series of tests to verify vehicle safety use crash test dummies in which specially produced sensors are installed. Before, during and
From analogue to digital measurement data – the DTI logger networks everything with just one cable
after a collision involving the test vehicle, these sensors capture data as the basis for important conclusions about the vehicle’s safety. As vehicles become more complex and the level of digitisation increases, more and more onboard and in-dummy measuring channels are needed. Back in the early 1990s, up to 250 analogue measuring channels were processed in collision tests – but today, the number of sensors required is often more than 600. Another factor: less and less space is available to install the sensors in the vehicle, so test setup is becoming much more complicated. With increased numbers of analogue sensors to measure the various test parameters, more cables have to be installed to supply power and transmit data. The end result is that test setup is becoming extremely time-consuming and cost-intensive. In addition, the large number of input channels increases the risk of errors or omissions in data acquisition. To minimise error rates and setup times, Kistler deploys its unique Digital Transducer Interface – or DTI – technology.
SINGLE-CABLE SOLUTION DTI technology opens up a new dimension of process efficiency for automobile manufacturers and suppliers to the
INSTRUMENTATION | SEPTEMBER 2017
automotive industry. What makes this possible: an intelligent bus concept for digital data transmission whereby each bus line supports up to 12 measurement channels per connection port. All the signals from a wide range of different sources are converted into a digital output signal by digitisation modules (DiMods for short). The DiMoDs are integrated directly into the sensors in the dummy, or suitable Kistler DTI integration solutions are deployed. Bundled sensor data is then fed to a
The DTI data recorder captures the digital measurement data from the sensors; it then transmits this data via Ethernet to the data interface unit
central Kistler DTI data recorder in the dummy for on-ward transmission via Ethernet to the COMBox/KiHUB data interface unit. This device connects all the in-vehicle DTI systems to the central network. The special feature of this solution: only one single cable is needed to synchronise the data, trigger the tests and supply power. The cable is run from the dummy to the onboard data acquisition unit which (for example) has a trailing cable connection to the master computer.
INTEGRATION OF DTI TECHNOLOGY Continental Safety Engineering International has been collaborating with Kistler since 1993. The two firms’ cooperation focuses on data acquisition
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