ECM system tests

This article describes the approach to EMC testing that can be carried out on a system. The sub-system approach is implicitly included in the process. EMC qualification on a large-scale system involves a number of constraints that need to be anticipated, so that the objectives of these tests can be achieved.

The difficulties encountered when carrying out system tests are numerous. Issues such as system representativeness, the electrical/electromagnetic environments to be applied to the specimen, and the functional modes during which stresses are to be applied are all parameters that need to be mastered if the tests carried out are to meet a cost objective. Moreover, the question of cost drives optimization in the choice of test configurations.

When the dimensions of a system are too large, or when its availability makes it impossible to envisage qualification tests on this specimen, a validation based on both partial tests (subsystems) and numerical modeling is to be envisaged. In such cases, the objectives of the tests are redefined, as they are intended to verify the convergence of the numerical models used in the evaluation of EMC environments.

In addition to the specimen used for system testing, attention must also be paid to the environment in which the system is located. It is essential that the means of implementation do not interfere with the testing process, as this could invalidate the results obtained. What's more, test conditions must be such as to reproduce the system's operating conditions.