Ingress/Egress Tester
Ingress/Egress Tester
The Ingress/Egress Tester is a unique machine that can be utilized to evaluate either a complete seating system, or almost any of its components. The evaluation criteria are usually visual and include wear patterns and general durability of the seat covering material, the foam, and the mechanical structure underneath. Sometimes, it is even used to evaluate the durability of the occupant's clothing!
Generally, this machine has 4 servo-electric motor driven axis and 3 pneumatic functions. These motions of the test dummy, relative to the test sample, include; in & out, right & left, up & down, rotation, free weight drop & recapture, and independent activation of the legs. Any or all of these motions can be performed concurrently, and in any order.
The most important of these motions is probably the "free weight" feature. This is when the dummy is free to float up & down with true body weight, which is adjustable from about 35Kg, up to about 100Kg. This free floating up & down motion is in addition to the up & down servo driven motion and is functional only when the pneumatic latch pin is retracted. When floating, under true body weight, the rotation and leg activation features are still available. This allows for very life like programming of motion sequences.
Unlike a robot that uses a load cell to measure load, true body weight includes the dynamic effect of inertia. A robot does not include this element. Any ingress / egress test is a test in motion, and anytime there is motion - there is inertia. Leaving out this important consideration changes the basic nature of the test, and quite possibly the results.
The control system is P.C. based and programmed by us in Visual Basic, which operates in a Windows operating environment. The only data acquisition is visual and a digital camera, attached to an adjustable mounting arm, can be included to capture images at specific intervals and store them. These images can then be electronically strung together to create a "time-lapse" movie, so the process of wear can be viewed in expedited time. This is a very compelling product evaluation tool!
Motion programming can be done in either of two ways: using the jog pendant control and pressing the "teach" button, or entering of the desired positions directly into the program. Because it is P.C. driven, the number of steps possible and the number of test programs that can be stored are essentially unlimited. This test data can also be saved or downloaded onto any other suitable P.C. type format.
Generally, this destructive test system is rather simple to both set-up and operate. Technicians that are P.C. literate will have no trouble quickly learning how to operate the software