A new test project starts by defining the vehicle and its associated build–and from this point each set-up, every change, and all incoming data will be automatically associated to it. Managers can enter general details such as the date the test is required, ownership information, who wants the data…as well as specific details such as tire specifications, vehicle loads and so on. In fact as much or as little as is needed at the time–extra fields can easily be added later “on the fly” by any operator. Multiple test runs are then defined: dragging standardized tests and different events into a sequence of runs, editing existing scenarios, or creating something from scratch. The database is allocated and the next stage can begin.
As an integrated road load data management system (RLDMS), ICE-flow controls the complete test program: from project initiation, finding out which equipment is available and calibrated, to noting where it physically can be found, who used what–and when, to managing a hundred other time consuming yet important details. Information from the vehicle, measurement instrumentation, cabling, transducers…can be captured automatically using barcodes or similar approaches. Manual data entry is only performed once. The ICE-flow environment even provides change control notification that can help enforce (and demonstrate) corporate ISO procedures.
The result: everything runs faster and more smoothly, there is less room for mistakes, and everything is traceable–just in case.
ICE-flow helps centralize and exploit existing knowledge and historical data: the test designer just retrieves relevant datasets using keywords such as vehicle type, component, test track… and can then quantify which channels out of the hundreds that were measured previously-caused damage–and therefore should be measured again. You can even tell which datasets were never used afterwards and eliminate unnecessary work.
Each measurement is associated with an individual transducer / cable and is mapped to a specific channel on the recording system. These are also associated with the specific location on the vehicle component, and the measurement direction. Real channels, virtual channels and sub-channels are easily set up, as is grouping by name, transducer type, critical locations, rosette, list of channels… At the same time, test sample rates, anomaly limits, are specified, calibration status and values are checked and loaded, and the setup status shown as “ready for uploading to the front end.” Again, everything is associated with the project, and the audit system tracks who did what, and when.
Until now, one-third of the time spent in the Road Load Data process could not be properly managed – with ICE-flow it can.
Capabilities featured on this page are provided by the ICE-flow TestBuilder product.
Next stage in the process: In-vehicle data acquisition
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