Aircraft LCD Panel Test System

Challenge

The customer had a legacy test system that required an expert operator to perform tests on LCD panels. They desired to have a system that automated more of the test, requiring less expertise from the operator, and making tests more objective.

Solution

Building on the existing mechanical system, we created software and hardware to drive increased automation.

System Features

• Reduced test time from 24 minutes to 15 minutes, while increasing test coverage
  
• More automation, Reduced operator interaction
  
• Interchangeable fixtures to test multiple product types, using Virginia Panel mass interconnects
  
• 5-axis control for a wide range of viewing angles
  
• Wide range of visual measurements:
  

          - Luminance
          - Chrominance
          - Color Accuracy over Multiple Viewing Envelopes
          - Contrast Ratio
          - Positional Color/Luminance Accuracy

• Test reporting through a custom Excel report
  
• Self-diagnosing Wrap-Around-Test (WAT)
  

Technical Details

The test hardware consists of:

• National Instrument PXI chassis
• Virginia Panel mass interconnects
• Custom PCB assemblies made the cabling simpler and more reliable
• National Instruments TestStand and LabVIEW were used for the automation programming