A modular and turn-key remote-access hardware-in-the-loop platform for testing electric motors

Abstract

This paper details the architecture, hardware and software of a platform for testing electric motors over the Internet that enables users to test multiple physical motors remotely under the specific loading conditions of the real-world application for which a motor is required. The system is divided into three major modules: the Server Software Application, the Target Software Application and the Motor Test Platform. The system is unique as it combines modularity, scalability and deliverability. It is modular, as it is capable of readily testing a variety of electric motors, scalable, as new motors can be quickly added to the system for testing, and is turn-key, easily deployed and installed. The proof-of-concept prototype was developed and examined against benchmark tests to determine its capabilities. The platform was effective as a remote access emulation and evaluation tool. Keywords IntroductionRemote experimentation and testing is an emerging technology in both the academia and industry. There have been several remote access experimental setups developed in universities around the globe, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (del Alamo, et al., 2005), University of California, San Diego (Travelyan, 2004), University of Essex, UK (Hu, et al., 2001), and University of Toronto (Helander and Emami, 2008). The University of Western Australia has made its remotely-operated robotic manipulator open to the public, i.e., anyone is free to register (Elgamal, et al., 2005). In the industry, despite a number of applications, remote access technology is still not fully (2004) live video streaming of the system is included to monitor the progress. Few works appear to harness remote access for industrial testing and design purposes. Ericsson's Virtual Lab is one such remote access testing system applied to software for the development and testing of Java applets for use on its cell phones prior to the release of the phone (Sony Ericson, 2007). This paper presents the design of a modular and turn-key hardware-in-the-loop platform for remote-testing electric motors. The torque-speed characteristics are crucial factors when selecting an electric motor for a specific application (Poulin, 1984). In both open-loop and closed-loop (servo) applications, the loading condition on a motor critically affects its dynamic response, efficiency, and power consumption, and the effect varies widely at different speeds. Current performance charts available to customers to assist them in finding a suitable selection are based on limited benchmark testing. Hence, not every possible load profile is actually tested to generate the performance charts. Instead, certain loads are applied to the motor to determine the corresponding performance, and the results of the benchmarking are fitted to generate the torque-speed characteristic curves. Consequent to these restrictions, the existing