Patent ID: 8108191
Filing Date: 2012-01-31
Classification: G01M,G06F

Abstract:
1. An apparatus to electrically simulate, in real-time, a plurality of different electro-mechanical motor systems for testing a motor driver for the motor systems, the motor driver being controlled by a processor, the apparatus comprising: at least one electrical load fixture adapted to be coupled to the motor driver, said at least one load fixture being electronically controlled by the motor driver to provide a plurality of different electrical loads; said at least one load fixture comprising at least one current detector, each of said at least one current detector being arranged to detect current of a respective drive phase of the motor driver when said at least one load fixture is providing a specific electrical load upon control by the motor driver; and a digital signal processing unit that processes current readings from said at least one current detector to generate motor characteristic signals indicative of characteristics of the simulated motor system in the presence of the same current readings when said at least one load fixture is providing the specific load, said digital signal processing unit including at least one mathematical algorithm configurable by the processor to simulate different motor systems by receiving control commands or signals from the processor, generating the motor characteristic signals based on the at least one mathematical algorithm after having been configured by said digital signal processing unit to simulate a particular motor system based on the received control commands and signals, and providing the generated motor characteristic signals as feedback signals to the processor representative of the operation of the simulated motor system upon control by the motor driver without construction of the simulated motor system, the processor controlling the motor driver and said digital signal processing unit based on the feedback signals.