exjobb/rapport/conclusion.tex

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\chapter{Conclusion}
\label{cha:conclusion}

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The main goal of this thesis was to examine the potential of reusing old test equipment with newer standards and how to ensure that the results are reliable. A method to verify the test equipment according to the latest standard was suggested in this thesis and some considerations for automating this procedure was made. A dummy load was developed and found good enough to be used for verification. The verification system was not completed and the high frequency attenuators did not perform well enough to be used in their current form.

\section{Research Questions}
The answers to the research questions are here answered based on the results of the project.

\subsection{1. Can test equipment made for ISO 7637-2:2004, be used for testing compliance against ISO 7637-2:2011, the newer version of the standard?}
Yes, based on the results achieved it most probably can. There are not many of the requirements that have been tougher to meet with the new standard compared to the old. The equipment used in this project failed some of the limits, but the properties that failed are also outside of the old standard's limits.

\subsection{2. If it can; What considerations must be made to allow for automating the test and verification process?}
The output from the pulse generators is hazardous for humans to touch and the system must mitigate the risk of electric shock. Some of the pulse generators are capable of delivering high energies which the calibration loads must be able to withstand. Some of the test pulses contain high frequencies that require the verification system to be well designed for this purpose.

\subsection{3. If it can't; What causes the failure, and what possible fixes can be made to make the equipment usable for the newer standard?}
Not applicable.


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\section{Future Work}
There were many topics involved in this project that could benefit for some deeper research. The most important ones are mentioned here.

\subsection{Measurement errors}
This is not mentioned in this project, other than tolerances, because it seems to be a very complex and delicate topic. Test equipment, and especially verification equipment, should have a proper error calculation.

\subsection{Mathematical analysis}
When the pulses have been measured, they need to be analysed. The limits for the verifications are amplitudes and durations. To extract these parameters, it could be advantageous to regard the pulse as a mathematical function with certain parameters. It was meant to be investigated in this thesis, but there was not enough time.

\subsection{Automation of the verification procedure}
Most of the equipment used is capable of remote control. It requires a lot of time to design, write and test the software needed to perform the verification automatically. During the time of this thesis some initial tests were made to control the equipment using their GPIB interfaces using C\# with successful results, but since there was not enough time to develop anything useful it was left out of this thesis.

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