Ready-to-use real-time simulation system – customizable for your application
The Bloomy Simulation Reference System provides a hardware in-the-loop (HIL) test environment for dynamic, closed-loop testing of many aerospace and transportation control systems. The reference system integrates the computing, I/O, and software components needed for standalone use or to form the basis of a more complex test system.
The system is comprised of standard COTS platform components from National Instruments (NI), Bloomy, Virginia Panel, and others, and provides all of the critical simulation system elements in a standard rack enclosure.
For applications which require more highly-specialized test systems, the reference system provides a jump start, shortening schedules, reducing costs, and freeing your test engineering departments to focus on the differentiating technologies which make your product unique in the marketplace.
The representative set of I/O channels in the Bloomy Simulation Reference System meets the most common requirements for HIL test of line replaceable units (LRUs) such as electronic engine controllers (EECs), full-authority digital electronic controllers (FADECs), flight control computers (FCCs), environmental control systems (ECSs), and other control systems involving temperatures, pressures, positions and actuators. The standard configuration can be expanded or tailored to the exact I/O requirements for the specific type of unit under test. Customer-provided plant and actuator models are easily incorporated into the test system software for comprehensive test coverage.
Because this simulation system is based upon COTS components from industry-leading suppliers to the aerospace and automotive sectors, the initial and overall life-cycle costs are lower, and the system’s flexibility allows reconfiguration to maintain its value through multiple programs. The Bloomy Simulation Reference System includes industry-standard components from National Instruments (NI), Virginia Panel, Bloomy, and others, which are used in other HIL Test Systems including Bloomy’s FADEC/EEC Test Platform, the Environmental Control System Test Platform, and the Flight Control Test Platform.
Bloomy's Simulation Reference System can be used in a range of test system applications including:
- FADEC/EEC/Flight Control HIL simulation and test
- Environmental control systems verification and validation
- Development, production, or maintenance testing
- “Fly the Box” test of customer return material
- Development of control laws prior to protype availability
- Reduces physical test requirements
- Minimizes fault conditions in physical test
- Environmental Stress Screening(ESS)/Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT)
- System Integration Labs (SILs)
Bloomy's Simulation Reference System features include:
- Simulation environment for comprehensive electronic/electromechanical control testing
- Analog I/O, including LVDTs, RVDTs, resolvers, thermocouples, RTDs, strain gages
- Actuator and indicator loads, including resistive (lamps, etc.) and inductive (solenoid, torque motor, etc.) loads
- Discrete switch signals, including open/ground, open/Vcc, open/closed, and customizable high-resistance states
- Available digital communications standards including ARINC-429, MIL-STD-1553B, FireWire, AFDX, RS-232/422/485
- Simulation-controlled variable DC power supplies and optional 1Ø or 3Ø AC supplies
- ThroughPoint™ Interface Panels with integrated breakout box functionality and high-reliability Virginia Panel interface connectors
- Optional real/sim. switching for testing real actuators with the system
- VeriStand real-time framework for integrating customer-supplied plant and actuator models
- TestStand test executive and LabVIEW programming environment
- Self-test for rapid system checkout and troubleshooting
- Optional data acquisition for incorporation and analysis of synchronized real-world parameters
- Standard configuration with out-of-the-box functionality for rapid delivery and commissioning
- Highly-customizable architecture and interfaces to meet user-defined requirements
| Signal Conditioning and Communication I/O | |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| VDT/Resolver simulation (4W, 5W, 6W)*+ | 8 |
| Thermocouple simulation*+ | 8 |
| RTD simulation*+ | 8 |
| Thermistor simulation+ | 8 |
| Strain Gauge simulation+ | 8 |
| Loads (torque motors, solenoid, lamp, etc.)*+ | 16 (8x <5W, 8x >5W) |
| Discretes (one-wire and two-wire)+ | 32 |
| Differential analog outputs to UUT+ | 8 |
| Potentiometer/variable resistor simulation | 8 |
| RS-422 | 2 |
| ARINC-429 | 8 |
| AFDX/ARINC-664 | Optional |
| MIL-STD-1553B | Optional |
| IRIG B | 1 |
| Ethernet Test Bus | Optional |
| DC Power | 2 |
| AC Power | Optional |
| Fault Insertion | |
|---|---|
| *Open circuit fault included. | |
| Other fault conditions (short to ground, pin to pin short, etc.) optional for all signal types |
| Self-Test | |
|---|---|
| +Self-test standard, calibration optional | |
| Loopback self-test optional for all other signal types |
| Computing Resources | |
|---|---|
| Real-Time Simulation Host | PXIe-based, RTOS, up to 8-Core Xeon |
| Instrumentation and System Management | PXIe-based, Windows ick, up to 8-Core Xeon |
| Software Environments | |
|---|---|
| Real-time Framework | National Instruments VeriStand |
| Test Executive | National Instruments TestStand |
| Data Acquisition and Programming | National Instruments LabVIEW, C/C++ |
| Data Management and Analysis | National Instruments DIAdem |
| Software Models | 23 model types, including LabVIEW, Simulink, MatrixX, C/C++, MapleSim |
| System Dimensions and Power | |
|---|---|
| System Chassis | 1- or 2-bay 40U equipment racks |
| 1-bay: | approx. 78"H (with locking casters) x 23"W x 36"D |
| 2-bay: | approx. 78"H (with locking casters) x 46"W x 36"D |
| Weight | Configuration dependent |
| Power Requirements | Power requirements vary with selected Ac and DC power supply options |
| Emergency Power Off | Standard |
| Uninterruptible Power Source | Standard for all computing resources |
| Warranty | |
|---|---|
| 1-year warranty on all hardware components, optional extended warranties available | |
| 3-year software service plan on all National Instruments software products |