(Above and below) System Integration Lab for the Autonomous Platform Demonstrator. (Unclassified: Distribution A. Approved for Public Release TACOM Case #20094 Release Date: 17 Aug 2009)
|
|
Systems integration – merging hardware and software subsystems into a functioning unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) – is a critical step in our development process. Getting a UGV’s complex electromechanical and computerized subsystems to work together properly is crucial to successfully fielding it.
NREC engineers can set up a System Integration Lab (SIL) to test and analyze UGV subsystems before finally assembling the vehicle. A SIL contains test stations for vehicle subsystems and can include engine and battery test stands, high and low-voltage component racks, motor and wheel test stands, a thermal chamber to evaluate performance at extreme temperatures, and more.
Engineers use the SIL to evaluate subsystems individually or in combination to see how they interact. The goal is to find and fix problems before the UGV is assembled. This speeds up systems integration and reduces its risks. It gives engineers a better understanding of how UGV systems interoperate and allows them to refine and test their designs. Integration work that formerly could be performed only on an assembled UGV can be done earlier in the cycle. Subsystems can also be tested in ways that are dangerous or impractical on an assembled vehicle (for instance, testing a wheel hub motor to failure without damaging other vehicle systems). The result is faster UGV development and improved reliability.
|
|
