Inova test systems

Electric, hydraulic or pneumatic, linear or rotary actuators are used to generate the forces. Precise knowledge of the properties of these actuators is of the utmost importance here.

A climatic load may be required in addition to the mechanical load. The interaction of an appropriate climate chamber with the mechanical components requires careful planning.

To ensure that the generated force or torque is correctly applied to the test part, appropriate force application devices are required. These can be, for example, ball joints, force transmission rods, lever systems, clamping devices and so on.

The actuators require a power, hydraulic or pneumatic supply. This must also be correctly designed for the required performance and, if necessary, cooled with air or water. The local conditions at the location of the test system must be taken into account. Structural measures may be required to bring the energy to the actuator.

Safety must also be taken into account. Noise emissions must also be clarified, as these are considerable, especially with hydraulic units and air compressors. Suitable mechanical and acoustic protection devices must therefore be designed for the entire test system. Emergency stop and quick-stop circuits must be carefully designed.

A closed-loop control system ensures that the interaction of actuators and possibly a climate chamber with all force and displacement transducers, temperature and humidity sensors, but also with other sensors to ensure operation, contribute perfectly to the overall performance. A measuring amplifier is required for each sensor, which digitises the signal with the correct calibration and makes it available to the software in real time. On the other hand, the electronics translate the control commands to the actuators in such a way that a servo valve or power electronics in the actuator generates the required movement in real time. The EU3000 from Inova is an extremely modular and powerful control electronics system that is ideally suited to this task.

The intelligence of the test system is in the software. The test engineer uses the software to define the programme sequence and measurement data acquisition. This is also where the incoming signals to the control electronics are compared with the outgoing drive signals. At Inova, the basic software is called “TestControl”. It has various expansion modules for specific applications such as operating load simulation, damper testing and more. Correct synchronisation of actuators is particularly important for multi-axis tests and can be achieved with TestControl.

The EU3000 control system in conjunction with the company’s own TestControl software and the ITRM Pro and RTI software modules enable the simulation of all operating loads, driving profiles and driving situations. By integrating a climate chamber, driving scenarios can also be simulated under extreme temperatures and with different humidity levels.

Thanks to its broad portfolio of modern components and their precise coordination, INOVA can develop and optimise state-of-the-art wheel alignment systems. For multi-axis tests, the loads can be transferred directly to wheels, measuring wheels or wheel adapters.