The race to develop electronic technologies is becoming increasingly competitive in a wide range of industries, and the automotive industry is no exception. The environmental testing of devices while connected to power is an essential step in the development of these technologies, and there is an increasing demand for higher capacity, more precise, and more efficient power supplies.
The Problem
Speeding up Analog Current Measurement and Sensor Adjustment.
The manufacturer in question receives a steady stream of requests to develop components for use in automotive applications that utilize hi-spec motors, including power steering and electric compressors. The design and development division always ran on a tight schedule and decided to improve this situation by making their testing process faster and more efficient. However, no matter how they tried, the team was unable to reduce the time taken by one particular process. A member of the design and development team explains:
“The issue was the process for outputting analog current readings for motors. While we normally used an inverter power supply when taking readings of high current motors, if a problem arose, we would replace the inverter power supply with a more precise AC power supply. In order to control the power supply output, we needed to take readings of current flow, and would attach an external current sensor to do so. Setting all this up was very time-consuming.”
Many of the motors were three-phase motors, which required three current sensors. Furthermore, when performing more involved tests, the team needed to connect power supplies and amplifiers as well.
“The complexity of the task and the limited number of personnel available meant the process was naturally time-consuming. We reviewed the process multiple times to try and improve things, but did not glean any insight into how we could make improvements,” says the employee.
Key Aspects of the Problem
- The team needed to make their testing process faster and more efficient.
- The team wanted to speed up the adjustment process, which involved attaching an external current sensor to the power supply.
- In more involved testing, it was also necessary to connect power supplies and amplifiers.
