FUJI KEISOKU SYSTEM CO. LTD.

As actions to save energy, reduce CO2 emissions, prevent global warming, and take other environmental measures gain ground recently, tireless efforts are continued on the research and development into automobile engines starting with improved performance but also including enhanced efficiency, lower fuel consumption, and reduced exhaust gas. Amid this situation, there is a growing demand for equipment that can automatically control engine operation parameters and measure and analyze evaluation elements at the prototype and verification stages.

Fuji Keisoku System Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Kawagoe, Saitama) produces measurement and control testing equipment for R&D and evaluation of automobile engines according to customer specifications. In addition to comprehensive testing equipment that collects the necessary data for R&D, the company provides various products and systems including measuring equipment that boasts high accuracy and reliability, peripheral equipment that supports creating the necessary conditions for testing, and transfer systems that enable faster and more efficient testing. In particular, engine-related products are some of manufacturers' top secret parts; therefore, their design, manufacture, inspection, and delivery are consistently contracted.

Fuji Keisoku System's automatic engine data sampling system allows for configuration of various control parameters (Engine rpm/torque, throttle opening, oil/water temperature) and uses a computer to automatically measure rotation, torque, temperature, pressure, and fuel consumption using over 100 measurement channels while enabling operation during automatic operation. By analyzing and outputting that data with high-speed arithmetic processing, faster and more efficient evaluation testing can be achieved during engine development. This system is being used in a wide variety of fields using engines from various manufacturers including those of automobiles, bicycles, automotive parts, construction and heavy machinery, and petroleum.

This system uses a Windows computer with Contec's measurement and control interface board (Digital I/O, analog I/O, and counter) embedded in the expansion unit (See Fig. 1).

Before the testing equipment was computerized, increasing the testing items required adding on meters and displays, resulting with having a large scale system. Now that it is done by computer, updates can be done by changing the software, and various information can be displayed by switching the screen.

Because Windows has an excellent user interface and numerous engineers can handle the programs, we can set parts to input testing parameters, meters to show results by analyzing acquisite data, and functions to make trend graphs and reports depending on customers' specification. However, because it is not geared for real-time processing such as to control machinery, processing is conventionally shared using separate machines (PLC and DOC-based computers).

While investigating whether this could be performed with a single computer, we received information on INtime, an extended software that enables real-time operations with Windows, and we adopted this software. After implementing INtime, we have been able to consolidate the arithmetic processing and user interface processing managed by Windows into a single computer by executing real-time processing of equipment control managed by INtime. We saved space and resources (See Figure 2).

In addition, the latest system supports multiple monitors (two displays that can be chosen and displayed on a single screen) for more display items and easier to read data during automatic operation.

At Contec, the measurement control interface board is operated using INtime to provide various technical information and support customer system construction.