Systems for and methods of automatically scheduling and executing in situ tests on electrical and mechanical systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Testing complex systems like HVAC systems is inefficient due to the need to establish and validate multiple operating conditions across multiple tests, which can take a long time and is challenging when running on existing systems, as existing tools lack the ability to coordinate and validate these conditions effectively.
Innovation Solution
A testing system that uses a scheduling algorithm to dynamically coordinate component tests, allowing for parallel execution and managing operating conditions using finite-state machines (FSMs) to minimize total runtime, while also monitoring and updating constraints based on component states, enabling pausing, canceling, restarting, and recovering of tests and conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If component tests are executed sequentially to ensure system safety and validate operating conditions, then testing reliability is improved, but total testing time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts test execution by grouping components into testable sets based on current system state and constraints. The scheduler continuously monitors operating conditions and dynamically determines which components can be tested in parallel versus sequentially, optimizing the balance between reliability and time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing system segments the overall test suite into multiple independent component test sets that can be executed in parallel. Each test set is carefully segmented to ensure that components within the same set do not have conflicting operating condition requirements, allowing simultaneous execution while maintaining system safety.
2Adaptability or versatility
If arbitrary operating conditions are established for each component test, then testing completeness is improved, but system complexity and coordination difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal constraint management framework that handles multiple operating conditions across different component tests through a unified interface. The constraint satisfaction mechanism serves multiple functions: validating test prerequisites, monitoring system state, coordinating parallel tests, and managing test lifecycles, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The scheduler acts as an intermediary between component tests and operating conditions. It translates test requirements into constraint validation tasks, coordinates the establishment of operating conditions, and manages the lifecycle of conditions across multiple tests. This intermediary layer simplifies the complexity of directly managing arbitrary operating conditions for each test.
3Measurement precision
If multiple operating conditions are validated across parallel tests, then testing accuracy is improved, but coordination complexity and computational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback mechanisms where the scheduler monitors operating conditions and test execution status in real-time. Based on feedback from condition validation and test progress, the scheduler dynamically adjusts the test plan, regroups components, or modifies execution sequences to maintain testing accuracy while managing coordination complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary validation of operating conditions and constraint satisfaction before executing parallel tests. By pre-validating conditions and identifying compatible test sets in advance, the system reduces the coordination complexity during actual test execution while maintaining high testing accuracy through proactive constraint management.
Data Source
AI summary
A testing platform tests an electrical and mechanical system such as an HVAC unit according to an algorithm that reduces the total testing time of the components of the system, while ensuring the safety of the system during system-wide testing. The platform uses constraints that are checked both before and during the testing to ensure that HVAC operating conditions are acceptable for starting and maintaining component tests. Preferably, the platform uses finite-state machines for each device to organize the component tests, allowing for monitoring of constraints and starting, pausing, and stopping component tests. Preferably, total test execution time is reduced by running component tests in parallel, running component tests based on loads of the components, or combinations of both.