Development of Reliability Test Rigs for Total Artificial Heart Pumps

Abstract: The long-term performance of TAH pumps needs to be demonstrated. Reliability tests are performed to measure its ability to operate for months, or years, without failure. Real Heart is currently constructing test rigs for this purpose. Software for documenting test rig conditions is also required. Thus, the objective of this study is to assist in developing reliability test rig software.  The software is written in LabVIEW and is hosted on a CompactRIO controller. Requirements include sampling of sensor data, logging, and alarms. Additionally, a PC dashboard is constructed for monitoring real-time data, reviewing logs, as well as controls for acquisition. Results of this study present a foundation for the test rig software. It features a modular architecture which allows for future scalability. The process of development involves research of hardware/software, establishing a reference design and to build and validate each module through test simulations. Data acquisition is set up with the NI-DAQmx API. It features automatic configuration for thermocouple, as well as custom signal scaling of the pressure and flow transducers. However, grouping of data and synchronization for logging and alarms was a challenge. The producer/consumer design pattern is implemented for grouping data as well as synchronization for logging and alarms.