NI data-logging software tackles automotive challenges

National Instruments (NI) has announced FlexLogger configuration-based data-logging software which helps validate new and rapidly evolving technologies to keep pace with vehicle electrification and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), without programming.

FlexLogger has intuitive workflows and integrated data management to help automotive test departments quickly capture accurate, well-documented data to verify system functionality in real-world conditions and comply with strict government regulations.

Rapidly evolving components and systems including sensor fusion, high-capacity batteries and deep learning demand a higher volume of testing with accurate, traceable results to exceed safety-critical expectations for quality and reliability. These trends are pulling automotive test departments in different directions, intensifying challenges to build increasingly complex, mixed-measurement test systems under compressed timelines, while managing the explosive growth of collected data.

Engineers can use the software to help simplify test configurations and extract key insights with sensor-specific workflows to acquire and log synchronised, mixed measurements, with no programming required. They can quickly integrate analog sensors, digital pulse frequencies, CAN signals and calculated channels that are all logged to the universal Technical Data Management Streaming (TDMS) file format, so data can be correlated and analysed to characterise an entire system. These capabilities also address similar challenges faced by test departments in other industries including heavy equipment, aerospace, appliances and academic research.

For example, heavy equipment manufacturers like CNH Industrial design and produce variations of powertrain systems for different vehicles, and each system has unique specifications for functionality and performance.

“Characterising a combine harvester drivetrain requires a mix of different measurements including pressure, temperature, current, CAN and shaft speed,” said Andy Tarman, lab test engineer at CNH Industrial. “FlexLogger makes it easier to troubleshoot and verify that the raw data from different sensors are correct before I start my test. This helps shorten test development by saving time typically wasted on redoing configurations.”

NI said these configuration-based workflows are the cornerstone that now empowers technicians to streamline test development, integrate new measurements and manage data using NI’s flexible software platform and modular hardware. For example, leveraging NI’s data management expertise, FlexLogger automatically logs descriptive metadata about the test configuration including sensor and hardware acquisition settings for easier traceability. Test departments can improve access to data and effectively communicate results to the organisation using DIAdem data management software to find, analyse and report on FlexLogger data.