Autonomous data acquisition system for testing vehicles

Abstract

Autonomous Data Acquisition System for Testing Vehicles, baptized as ADAQ by its initials, is an application developed by SEAT Technical Center company in order to improve and revolutionize data acquisition methodologies. The app uses the resources of different softwares in order to build up a self autonomous system able to deal with all steps from a data acquisition process: the acquisition, the communication from data and the analysis. Every phase follows its own parameters in order to be configured and adapted by the technician as the different acquisition projects might demand. It is an auto-controlled and robust system able to work on extreme testing tracks where the vehicle could be sent, and able to advise the pilot or the analyst in case any problem occurs during any of the phases. When a new project is requested, the technician instruments the vehicle, configures the acquisition depending on the target of the test and selects the analysis to be done during the several days the vehicle will be on track. Then, the vehicle is sent to any testing track of the World. At this point, the pilot only needs to focus on driving. After the acquisition day is completed, data is transferred until the computer on the headquarters where the analysis from the selected data is carried out, every step on an autonomous way. When the analyst/technician arrives into the office will see the report from the analysis done. In less than 24 hours it is possible to see what is the evolution from the tested vehicle and make decisions whether it is convenient. Among all possible analysis stands out the pseudo-damage analysis. This analysis let know the wear from any instrumented component of the vehicle and can be compared with other tested vehicles or with the same vehicle tested under different conditions. ADAQ offers the possibility to view the accumulated pseudo-damage report to date, which is the sum from the daily pseudo-damages values agains the total kilometers completed by the tested vehicle. ADAQ is a pioneer application on its version 0. It has been designed taking into account where the future of data acquisition is headed and has proved to be reliable and operative on the first tests done.