Functionality Testing of Low Voltage Drive using Automated Test Framework

Abstract

Low voltage drives are recently making a tremendous impact in industrial automation. The rapid evolution of the technological innovations in the fields like power semiconductor devices, power converter topologies, microprocessors, and computer-aided design techniques helps in motor control technology to be easy and flexible. Controlling speed is a crucial part of industrial as well as domestic drive applications like the transportation systems, rolling mills, paper mills, textile mills, robots, machine tools, fans, pumps, washing machines etc. Drive functionality testing is an evident part before the drive is made available to the end customer. Drive functions can either be tested manually or by using test automation. Whereas latter one is an effective approach which helps in saving time and is more efficient compared to former one. Fully automated system can be implemented by automating the test cases for various functionalities of drive by using tools like Drive composer, NI max, visual studio, codesys and automation builder. The main objective of this project is to carry out drive functional testing in an platform called Automated Test Framework (ATF). Drive functional testing is carried out using test automation by converting the drive functionalities into an automated one. The automated testing approach produces higher efficiency results which not only reduces efforts of the tester, but also makes regression testing easier.