References Siemens Wind Power
Siemens Wind Power
Our FPGA and hardware development resulted in significant cost reduction and optimization.
"High demands for the quality of the main voltage on the markets to which we sell our windmills call for a correspondingly high quality of the measuring systems used in our mills. This constitutes a vital part of our effort to meet the rising demands of customers and authorities. Therefore, we initiated a project regarding development of a new measuring system”, says Michael Bjerre Laursen from Siemens Wind Power.
The Solution
A PCI104 Module. We developed a data collection card in PCI-104 format with analog to digital conversion and FPGA on board. Data collection occurred through analog to digital conversion and was transmitted through a PCI-104 bus in an industrial PC in a DIN form factor. We used multiple A/D converters to sample simultaneously and deliver the measurements to the FPGA in real time. Filtering and general data handling was performed concurrently before data was sent for follow-up handling on the PC.
Axcon's role
We met Siemens' outsourcing needs using a project agreement. We used the combined efforts of an algorithm designer, an FPGA designer, and a hardware designer.
Siemens Wind Power's advantage
Siemens Wind Power was able to find a good balance between unit price, development costs, and flexibility. Midway through the project an exciting opportunity was discovered that allowed us to reduce development time and increase performance. This will save Siemens Wind Power over 1 million Euro in the first few years of production alone.
"We needed a partner who could demonstrate knowledge within a range of disciplines with a particular emphasis on high-speed electronics, FPGA, and signal handling. During the course of the project the cooperation with Axcon went smoothly and we were provided with the feedback that was necessary to achieve a final product that met our demands in regard to performance as well as cost. Axcon’s extensive knowledge of the design of FPGAs has added more value to the final solution than we had ever expected to be possible." |