1.  Full Authority Engine Control

To achieve this, modern automotive engines have many integrated sub-systems including:

2.    Sensors and Actors

Achieving this level of control requires sensors and actuators that are providing and receiving signals representing many aspects of the engine's environment and operational settings including:

Engine electrical harnesses with their sensors and actuators require 100% testing on the assembly line, leading to a requirement to manage the testing of a large range of sensor technologies and associated electrical connections.

3.   Niksar's Solution

The Niksar solution is based on the use of National Instruments' PXI chassis with interface modules and an industrial computer (PCI bus) for the measurement control, data processing and storage.

A view of the instrument at the heart of the tester - a National Instruments' PXI bus rack with interface peripherals inserted.

The high density multiplexers provide the rapid measurement configuration (topology) changes required to achieve a high measurement count in a short time.

Self-checking of the measurement instrument's connection system (cables and connectors) is carried out during the engine test cycle to ensure the the integrity of the tests.