TS-5400 Datasheet, PDF (2/15 Pages) Keysight Technologies – TS-5400 Series II Automotive Electronics Functional Test System

Introduction
Test Engineering Challenges
On time test deployment within budget is your department’s responsibility. To accomplish this, the test
system utilized must provide adequate test coverage and test times while ensuring the manufacture
of quality products. In developing a test platform, you must balance three competing goals: time (test
development, execution and system deployment); cost (capital and integration); and scope (throughput,
accuracy and flexibility) [see figure 1]. Competing in today’s automotive electronics manufacturing
environment means using reusable, scalable test platforms that meet the evolving test requirements of
electronic control modules and smart sensors.
There are three approaches to choose from when creating a test system: use your in-house test
department to build your own, outsource the development of the entire system, or use a commercial
off-the-shelf platform as the basis for the test system to be deployed. The Keysight Technologies, Inc.
TS-5400 Series II is a commercial, off-the-shelf platform tuned specifically for automotive electronics
functional test.
Measurements in electronic control modules (ECMs) are challenging today, and new developments for
engine management systems, powertrain control, safety, security and convenience modules promise
to make them even more challenging down the road. This platform facilitates test strategies for ECMs
in current production with the ability to adapt to a wide range of possible ECMs in future production.
What’s more, users of the TS-5400 Series II have reported time-to-market improvements of 300%.
Manufacturing Goals
Producing quality ECMs faster and at a lower cost than the competition, without compromising test
coverage, can be an overwhelming challenge in the fast-paced automotive electronics industry.
In exploring the three competing goals [see figure 1], the need to focus on each individually, while
simultaneously studying how they relate to one another, becomes increasingly clear. Meeting the
tremendous deadline pressure to get manufacturing test lines set up on time requires test engineering
to perform faster test development, execution and line integration. In turn, increasing throughput
to decrease the test cost per ECM requires faster test execution while maintaining a high level of
test coverage. And finally, test coverage and capability depend on the flexibility in the scope of the
test system to accommodate the rapid introduction of new convenience, security, safety and engine
management ECMs.
Cost
Time
Scope ^{Figure 1. The Balancing Challenge}