Digital oscilloscope: developments to operate in new market niches and international launch

Abstract

The advancement of technology and the need for connectivity resulted in an increase in embedded electronics in various products, from the simplest to the most complex. The increase in complexity has numerous advantages, but it comes with a cost. One of them is the greater number of parts and components that potentially shorten the life of the product, by simply increasing the probability of defect by containing more parts than its predecessors. Furthermore, individual parts are also more complex, an electronic component such as a microcontroller is certainly more complex (containing numerous internal structures) than any mechanical part. Thus, the repair of these products also becomes more difficult, often requiring the use of an oscilloscope, and at the same time requiring greater qualification of the responsible professional. When using an oscilloscope to analyze a diverse electronic signal, whether from an electrical network, electronic circuit, sensor or actuator of a vehicle, a great knowledge of the physics involving the measurement is necessary. The conventional process of repairing electronic equipment is based on a previous study of the electrical schematic and with an oscilloscope the waveforms are analyzed looking for the defect. However, this process consumes many hours. What's more, there are currently hundreds of equipment models that are quickly coming and going. And many manufacturers do not even provide the circuit diagrams. As a result, the cost of a possible repair increases, and not rarely makes it unfeasible. Identifying this opportunity and market niche, the company developed tools for the automotive market to make this step happen in a more practical and faster way. With the use of a database with thousands of shared signals for comparison and advanced algorithms, the diagnosis of complex measurements can be performed in less than a minute by personnel with minimal qualification. The proposed project seeks to take the solution developed by the company, with the help of FAPESP and FINEP, to new niches in the domestic and international market. In the domestic market, it aims to launch a new version with features aimed at repairers of electronic equipment in general, with the incorporation of a analog fault diagnosis function. As for the foreign market, it aims to start the sales of the current developed solution for the automotive market, which is commercially validated in Brazil and with good technical maturity. (AU)