Development of a novel generic digital controller for hydraulic load profiling control systems to significantly reduce costs and time in aircraft test rig development and commissioning

Project Information

DigiTech

Grant agreement ID: 687641

DOI

10.3030/687641

Project closed

EC signature date 1 September 2015

Start date 1 October 2015

End date 31 March 2016

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

RTC ELECTRONICS LTD
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DigiTech (Development of a novel generic digital controller for hydraulic load profiling control systems to significantly reduce costs and time in aircraft test rig development and commissioning)

Reporting period: 2015-10-01 to 2016-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Phase 1 funding has enabled RTC to complete a feasibility study for DigiTech: a novel digital control system for loading test equipment.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We have established freedom to operate within the field. No prior IP protection relating to DigiTech-like systems has been discovered. A robust IP strategy has been developed to protect our work from exploitation by outside parties.
There is significant potential for DigiTech to be impactful within the industry. The industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.64% until 2022. There is a high demand for innovative testing solutions that are faster, cheaper and better than the current state-of-the-art.
DigiTech promises significant customer savings in terms of system cost, maintenance costs and project delivery time. These benefits come from the innovative, highly modular architecture of DigiTech. This will reduce time to design, build, program and commission the test system. The current state of the art is a rack and stack system with a large, central computer which must be programmed with highly customised software for each new application. The need for high-cost bespoke rig elements will be reduced greatly with DigiTech.
DigiTech will meet customer demands for reduced system downtime and rapid breakdown support. Potential solutions were evaluated in terms of Customer and RTC requirements and a strategy has been defined. Key technologies for meeting these demands are identified and compared.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

An elaborated business plan is presented in which we detail our commercialisation and marketing strategy. Our strategy for developing client uptake is explained and risks and opportunities associated with the product are identified. The reduced cost of DigiTech will allow us to target other industrial sectors, in which the price point is lower.
The current state of the technology is described and an overview of future development is presented.

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