Product category:
Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment
News Release from: Alfautomazione | Subject: Navtest 3000 automatic test platform
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 09 February 2001
Automatic test platform for telematic
nodes
Navtest 3000 is an automatic test platform for telematic nodes that can simultaneously test two stations, thanks to a dual fixture turntable, and perform masked time operations
Today's automobile is already a vast network of interconnected silicon chips, controlling everything from airbags to engines operations Microprocessors have produced a wide range of benefits, improving fuel economy, enhancing safety and reducing emissions, among other things
Until now, the silicon hardware has largely been invisible from the consumer's point of view.
But that's about to change with the emergence of a third trigger technology - telematics.
By the most basic definition, telematics refers to the combination of a wireless communication (GSM, GPS, Bluetooth) and multimedia (audio, video).
Most of the burgeoning field's players are likely to use a broad description, taking in a wide range of computer-driven technologies that have a direct interface with the driver or passenger, including stand-alone navigation or adaptive cruise control.
Satellite navigation systems have recently started invading the automotive market, as they are more and more used as car components.
One of the main reasons for this are the value-added services offered by these products, such as GSM functions and satellite antitheft devices integration.
Thanks to these advantages, we expect the number of satellite navigation systems, or more exactly telematic nodes, to increase considerably in a few years.
Therefore we can definitely say that car navigators are becoming a consumer good for the automotive market.
Alfautomazione planned to implement Navtest 3000, an automatic test platform for telematic nodes that can simultaneously test two stations, thanks to a dual fixture turntable and perform masked time operations thus increasing system efficiency and productivity considerably.
Telematic nodes functions are quite complicated and they integrate, besides the road planner, GSM, AM/FM radio functions, video, CD or DVD, satellite and antitheft.
The system also includes a series of instruments necessary to the implementation of the road planner: GPS, gyroscopes and a certain number of automotive and multimedia bus.
These buses allow both the connection of peripherals to telematic nodes and the connection of nodes to car electronics.
In order to allow a flexible maintenance of functions executing inside telematic nodes, Navtest3000 was implemented through the PXI standard.
The system incorporates two PXI main frames connected through the MXI bus and offers an IEEE-488 interface for additional rack and stack instruments.
Since it is designed for optical inspection of satellite navigators, Navtest3000 also provides a PXI-IMAQ vision system.
Alfautomazione has chosen NI TestStand, National Instruments environment for test sequences, as its software environment integrating it with a number of functions for statistics, label printing and product differentiation.
Specific test applications are performed through virtual panel configurable drivers.
By configuring a virtual panel related to a certain instrument or function set and by saving it in a sequence, the user can easily perform specific tests.
Each virtual panel configurable driver can therefore be considered a sort of building-brick for the system, tested and controlled.
It's also important to point out that, since all connections are already in the system (included those to external peripherals, local networks, etc.), the installation time is really low.
Finally, Navtest3000 was designed to be supported and transported all over the world and is therefore a rugged solution.
The system guarantees operator and machine safety, and is CE certified.
The aim of Alfautomazione was both to provide a machine that satisfies test requirements for functions executable a posteriori and to offer a system that can count on unfailing support because its components are available worldwide.
Products by Alfautomazione are actually supported in the United States, Europe, Asia and Brazil.
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