PRESS Button Cycler Enhancements

The goal of the project is to develop enhancements to a button cycler for use in qualification testing of electro-mechanical switches designed into Advanced Input Systems’ products.

=Problem Definition= Exhaustive testing of human machine interfaces (HMI) associated with high technology equipment is needed to assure that the HMI remain fully functional throughout the anticipated usage life. The goal of our project is to design a next-generation keyboard testing equipment/software package that can be easily configured to a broad range of keyboard geometries. The test will reduce human labor required for data acquisition/visualization and provide information about changes in switch health throughout the entire testing procedure.

Background


The current system at AIS has the following capabilities: System drawbacks to be considered:
 * Incremental counters detect and display the number of switch closures since last reset.
 * System force can be controlled somewhat by adjusting input pressure.
 * Multiple air cylinders (Bimbas) can be used to test multiple keys on a device.
 * No way to monitor or accurately adjust force applied by pneumatic Bimbas.
 * No way to measure or quantify switch health.
 * Switch closure count does not indicate when and error has occurred.

Deliverables
The four levels of priority assigned to the product design are as follows.

Priority 1: Necessary for product prototype
An apparatus and LabVIEW program which emulates the current system capabilities, as well as provides switch debounce detection and meaningful datalogging.

Priority 2: Preferable but Optional
Incorporate Bimba force detection and user input for force selection.

Priority 3: Optional
Incorporate in situ switch characterization using force/displacement/resistance hysteresis curves to monitor switch health.

Priority 4: Preferable for future product
Modernize hardware setup for final button cycler system.

Specifications
=Design Considerations=

=Project Learning=

=Final Design=

=Validation=

=Team Members=

=Additional Documentation=

Project Schedule



Meeting Minutes

Presentations



Client Interview