Downhole Dynometer
Innovent was contracted to develop a complete firmware package and graphical user interface for a prototype dynometer for use in oil well applications. The system was designed for very high temperature environments and for efficient battery powered operation. The system core consists of a high temperature Texas Instruments SM470 microcontroller, a 24-bit multi-channel sigma-delta ADC and several banks of external flash memory for data logging. Following initial development of the prototype, Innovent was engaged to perform a complete hardware design review of the system where several improvements were identified, leading to increased power efficiencies and improved data acquisition performance. All recommendations were integrated into the production hardware revision. Innovent continues to support the hardware, firmware and software architecture for the tool and has been involved in many aspects of its implementation; algorithm development, digital signal processing, hardware design, characterization and graphical user interface.
DC/DC Controller
This controller platform was developed to drive a 60 kW DC/DC converter switching SiC MOSFET's at 40 kHz with a 1+ kV bus voltage. The converter platform is used for energy storage applications (wind and solar). The design includes a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), power conditioning circuitry, voltage monitoring and self diagnostic capabilities, PWM outputs, multiple data acquisition channels, isolated CAN, RS-485 and serial interfaces. This design has proven to be a reliable solution for a variety of power electronics and control applications.
Experimental MEMS Development Kit
Serving as an extension to a team of researchers, Innovent Designs developed a platform to prove out a new type of MEMS sensor (using thermal variations to determine the rate of flow of a gas). The platform provided precise analog to digital conversion for the sensor outputs, a clean power supply and voltage reference, test points to aid in evaluating the performance of the board, and an ARM Cortex processor. Innovent mapped the researchers algorithms from LabView into performant C code running on the microcontroller, making use of fixed point arithmetic and FFT routines optimized for the hardware. Innovent developed a PC utility enabling convenient testing of the sensor, flexibly acquiring data and adjusting a multitude of algorithmic parameters. The resulting platform replaced several shelves of equipment and was used to qualify the system. Ultimately, the technology was proven to be both accurate in measurement and efficient enough for low power/battery applications.
Cellular Smart Meter Module
In this project Innovent Designs was tasked with the goal of developing a communication board that could translate between a proprietary Smart Meter protocol and multiple other wireless networks. Additionally, Innovent was tasked to develop a cellular module to pair with the communication board. Additional wireless modules were developed by third parties. The communication protocols supported in firmware ranged from the proprietary metering system, HTTP and CoAP. The system also supported a Bluetooth Low Energy interface with NFC wakeup capabilities for wireless, in-field, communication. Furthermore, the system was designed to Class 1 Division 2 hazardous zone specifications and achieved its primary requirement to operate from a single battery pack for more than seven years.
Modbus Control Module
Designed for an Oil & Gas application, this small control board was developed to communicate over an industrial RS-485 network and process Modbus commands. System firmware was developed for an ARM Cortex processor that needed to be both robust and allow the system to meet its low energy budget. The system was designed to meet stringent Class 1, Division 1 requirements for use in explosive/hazardous areas, with the production version completely potted excluding connectors. Innovent Designs also worked closely with the Canadian Standards Association to develop safety drawings and documentation in order to bring the system through to full certification by the CSA.
Prototypes
Innovent has comprehensive experience developing prototype designs for a wide range of applications. From a startup wishing to bring a novel consumer product to market, to a multinational expanding its product line, Innovent can bridge the gap from concept to implementation. Prototypes often have different requirements than production designs in that they may need features to help characterize, test and evolve the system. Furthermore, prototypes are often cost sensitive. The challenge is to design a prototype in such a way that it covers the problem space (enables different implementation, feature and evaluation approaches), keeps cost to a minimum and yet still provides a useful path to a production-ready variant. Keeping these phases in mind can reduce both project risk and resources. Contact us with your goals and we are happy to provide recommendations.