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kinnar
This article being so many never thought applications of wireless communication ...
Towards a wireless world
LMS International
10/4/2010 3:00 AM EDT
Standardizing on LMS
Tests are conducted at all these facilities using state-of-the-art LMS SCADAS data acquisition hardware and LMS Test.Lab control and data-reduction software.
With the addition of an expanded data acquisition system at Cannes, the 1,200+ total channel count for all three AITs ranks Thales Alenia among the most powerful distributed LMS test system for any company in the world.
The signal capacity, high speed, flexibility and versatility of this LMS system are key to the success of the company in these enormous satellite projects.
Each center is autonomous, with vibration, acoustic and other environmental test capabilities geared toward particular applications. The Cannes center can accommodate major subsystems, large antennas and solar array, and satellites up to 6 tons, while the Rome facility is limited to 3 tons and Toulouse is mainly targeted at testing components such as electronic equipment and antennas. LMS systems are also used for more specialized tests at these centers. At the Rome facility, for example, shock loading experienced by satellites due to separation of rocket stages is duplicated on a shaker table controlled by the LMS system, which also triggers a high-speed camera recording structural response of the satellite.
AITs can perform tests for their own individual outside contracts as well as work in concert with other Thales Alenia Space centers on major projects such as Globalstar and the Galileo and EGNOS navigation satellites, as well as the Herschel, Planck and Mars Express scientific missions.
“Standardizing on LMS testing solutions is advantageous,” said Jean-Charles Delambre, vibration and mechanical testing expert at Thales Alenia Space Cannes Dynamic Test Facility. “Our test systems are entirely compatible with those at our largest customer – ESA (European Space Agency) since they also use LMS extensively.
So we can readily ensure that our test procedures are done according to their standards. And we can easily exchange results data, technical information and best practices related to the many satellite projects we work on for them. Also, our engineers can easily work at any of our three sites thanks to the uniformity of the LMS technologies.
Their proficiency on the system easily transfers between the different Thales Alenia Space organizations – as well as outside partners like ESA. This standardization really shows its added-value when coordinating work and performing tests efficiently on large joint projects such as Globalstar.”
Well-choreographed concurrent engineering
“To meet these demands, we use a ‘technical island’ approach where teams of people converge at the test site to get the job done as quickly as possible – technicians for set-up, control, and data acquisition as well as facilities engineers, shaker specialists and instrumentation engineers.”
Daniele Tiani, Head of Mechanical Test Dept IU_AIT in Rome, noted that teams can run tests so quickly – push the limits, so to speak – because of the confidence they have in the LMS system. As tests are being conducted, measurements are compared with prescribed limits and tests are automatically aborted via a control loop that triggers an end-test command that gradually scales down vibration input.
“With tests controlled by the LMS system, we know that fragile and expensive satellite components and subsystems will be safe as the test sequence is performed exactly as intended,” he noted. “With less reliable systems, tests must proceed more deliberatively as engineers slowly ramp up test amplitudes to make sure there is no risk to the test specimen. This confidence in test control and reliability is a huge advantage of the LMS system.”
Time-saving capabilities
Another LMS capability that can compress test cycles is parallel processing to analyze measurement data in near real time, displaying results for critical channels as tests are being run and providing full results almost immediately after the conclusion of a test.
“By seeing results so fast, engineers can quickly spot any inconsistencies and make immediate corrections – even in the middle of a test run,” Mr. Tiani explained. “This saves hours – and often days – of precious time that they would otherwise have to spend waiting for results, only to discover a problem that would mean re-running the entire test.”
Further time is saved through the use of the LMS patch panel capability, which can avoid the time-consuming repetition of connecting, disconnecting and double-checking hundreds of accelerometer cables as the satellite is moved from pre-test into the test area. This helps streamline the procedure of splitting up an extensive test into segments because not enough channels are available to run the test in its entirety. “With patch panels pre-wired to route signals to appropriate slots of the LMS SCADAS equipment by way of just a few master cables, we can now reconfigure connections in just a few hours instead of what used to take four days or more,” explained Mr. Tiani.
Competitive value of proven capabilities
With these capabilities, Thales Alenia Space has become a powerhouse in the worldwide space industry. “Clearly, there is a competitive value for Thales Alenia Space to be standardized on test systems from LMS, which is recognized for its technology and its outstanding customer service. In an industry such as satellite development and testing where performance, reliability and compatibility of digital systems are critical, the trend toward LMS as the de facto standard across the industry certainly makes sense. From each organization’s perspective, there is just too much at stake to trust projects worth hundreds of millions of euros to anything less than the proven capabilities of LMS people and technology.”
Jennifer Schlegel, is an Editor with LMS International which is based at Researchpark Z1, Interleuvenlaan 68, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
Tests are conducted at all these facilities using state-of-the-art LMS SCADAS data acquisition hardware and LMS Test.Lab control and data-reduction software.
With the addition of an expanded data acquisition system at Cannes, the 1,200+ total channel count for all three AITs ranks Thales Alenia among the most powerful distributed LMS test system for any company in the world.
The signal capacity, high speed, flexibility and versatility of this LMS system are key to the success of the company in these enormous satellite projects.
Each center is autonomous, with vibration, acoustic and other environmental test capabilities geared toward particular applications. The Cannes center can accommodate major subsystems, large antennas and solar array, and satellites up to 6 tons, while the Rome facility is limited to 3 tons and Toulouse is mainly targeted at testing components such as electronic equipment and antennas. LMS systems are also used for more specialized tests at these centers. At the Rome facility, for example, shock loading experienced by satellites due to separation of rocket stages is duplicated on a shaker table controlled by the LMS system, which also triggers a high-speed camera recording structural response of the satellite.
AITs can perform tests for their own individual outside contracts as well as work in concert with other Thales Alenia Space centers on major projects such as Globalstar and the Galileo and EGNOS navigation satellites, as well as the Herschel, Planck and Mars Express scientific missions.
“Standardizing on LMS testing solutions is advantageous,” said Jean-Charles Delambre, vibration and mechanical testing expert at Thales Alenia Space Cannes Dynamic Test Facility. “Our test systems are entirely compatible with those at our largest customer – ESA (European Space Agency) since they also use LMS extensively.
So we can readily ensure that our test procedures are done according to their standards. And we can easily exchange results data, technical information and best practices related to the many satellite projects we work on for them. Also, our engineers can easily work at any of our three sites thanks to the uniformity of the LMS technologies.
Their proficiency on the system easily transfers between the different Thales Alenia Space organizations – as well as outside partners like ESA. This standardization really shows its added-value when coordinating work and performing tests efficiently on large joint projects such as Globalstar.”
Well-choreographed concurrent engineering
“To meet these demands, we use a ‘technical island’ approach where teams of people converge at the test site to get the job done as quickly as possible – technicians for set-up, control, and data acquisition as well as facilities engineers, shaker specialists and instrumentation engineers.”
Daniele Tiani, Head of Mechanical Test Dept IU_AIT in Rome, noted that teams can run tests so quickly – push the limits, so to speak – because of the confidence they have in the LMS system. As tests are being conducted, measurements are compared with prescribed limits and tests are automatically aborted via a control loop that triggers an end-test command that gradually scales down vibration input.
“With tests controlled by the LMS system, we know that fragile and expensive satellite components and subsystems will be safe as the test sequence is performed exactly as intended,” he noted. “With less reliable systems, tests must proceed more deliberatively as engineers slowly ramp up test amplitudes to make sure there is no risk to the test specimen. This confidence in test control and reliability is a huge advantage of the LMS system.”
Time-saving capabilities
Another LMS capability that can compress test cycles is parallel processing to analyze measurement data in near real time, displaying results for critical channels as tests are being run and providing full results almost immediately after the conclusion of a test.
“By seeing results so fast, engineers can quickly spot any inconsistencies and make immediate corrections – even in the middle of a test run,” Mr. Tiani explained. “This saves hours – and often days – of precious time that they would otherwise have to spend waiting for results, only to discover a problem that would mean re-running the entire test.”
Further time is saved through the use of the LMS patch panel capability, which can avoid the time-consuming repetition of connecting, disconnecting and double-checking hundreds of accelerometer cables as the satellite is moved from pre-test into the test area. This helps streamline the procedure of splitting up an extensive test into segments because not enough channels are available to run the test in its entirety. “With patch panels pre-wired to route signals to appropriate slots of the LMS SCADAS equipment by way of just a few master cables, we can now reconfigure connections in just a few hours instead of what used to take four days or more,” explained Mr. Tiani.
Competitive value of proven capabilities
With these capabilities, Thales Alenia Space has become a powerhouse in the worldwide space industry. “Clearly, there is a competitive value for Thales Alenia Space to be standardized on test systems from LMS, which is recognized for its technology and its outstanding customer service. In an industry such as satellite development and testing where performance, reliability and compatibility of digital systems are critical, the trend toward LMS as the de facto standard across the industry certainly makes sense. From each organization’s perspective, there is just too much at stake to trust projects worth hundreds of millions of euros to anything less than the proven capabilities of LMS people and technology.”
Jennifer Schlegel, is an Editor with LMS International which is based at Researchpark Z1, Interleuvenlaan 68, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
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kinnar
10/9/2010 2:38 AM EDT
This article being so many never thought applications of wireless communication that can be done electronically. There is certainly so many applications of wireless comm that we have not all all explored.
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