Typhoon HIL facts for kids
| Stock company(USA) | |
| Industry | Hardware in the Loop |
| Founded | 17. November 2008 |
| Headquarters | |
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Typhoon HIL creates special computer systems called Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulators. These systems help engineers test power electronics equipment safely and quickly. Power electronics are devices that control and change electrical power, like those found in electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines.
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What is Typhoon HIL?
Typhoon HIL makes advanced tools that act like a real power system. Instead of testing a new device with actual, powerful electricity, engineers can connect it to a Typhoon HIL simulator. The simulator then pretends to be the power grid or a complex machine. This helps engineers find problems and make sure their designs work correctly before building the real thing. It's like a video game for engineers, but for serious electrical testing!
How Typhoon HIL Started
Typhoon HIL began in 2008. Their main idea was to create a safer and cheaper way to test power electronics. Before HIL, engineers often had to test their designs using real equipment. This "bench testing" could be very expensive and sometimes even dangerous.
At the time, HIL systems were already used in other areas, like designing cars. But it was new to use them for power electronics. Power electronics often switch electricity very quickly, sometimes thousands of times per second. To test these systems accurately, the simulator needs to work incredibly fast, in less than a millionth of a second! Regular computer processors weren't fast enough. So, Typhoon HIL developed a special computer chip called an FPGA to handle these super-fast calculations. They also made easy-to-use software to go with it.
Where is Typhoon HIL Today?
Typhoon HIL has grown a lot since it started. In 2020, the company had offices in several countries around the world:
- Typhoon HIL Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts, USA (this is their main office)
- Typhoon HIL GmbH in Baden, Switzerland
- Tajfun HIL D.O.O. in Novi Sad, Serbia
- Typhoon HIL Research Inc. in Vancouver, Canada
- Typhoon HIL BR Ltda. in Florianópolis, Brazil
- Typhoon HIL Düsseldorf, Germany (this office was being built)
Besides these offices, Typhoon HIL also works with partners in many other countries, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Mexico. These partners help distribute and support Typhoon HIL's products worldwide.
Typhoon HIL Products
Typhoon HIL's main products are their real-time HIL simulators. These machines use the special FPGA chip to run very complex power electronics models at super-fast speeds.
They also offer a full software package called "Typhoon HIL Control Center." This software helps engineers create detailed models, run tests by hand, and even set up automatic tests.
Software for Simulations
Typhoon HIL also provides software that can be used without connecting to their special hardware. This software is free to use and helps with many different types of simulations:
- Logic circuits: These are the basic building blocks of digital electronics.
- Controller design: Creating the "brains" that tell power devices what to do.
- Simulating power devices: Testing things like inverters (which change DC to AC power), generators, and solar panels.
- Software in the Loop (SIL): Testing software code before it's put onto a real device.
- Electric vehicles: Simulating the electric parts of cars, trucks, and other vehicles.
- Electric aircraft: Testing the electric systems in airplanes.
Microgrid Solutions
Typhoon HIL also offers tools for simulating microgrids. A microgrid is like a small, independent power system. It can include things like wind turbines, solar panels, diesel generators, and battery storage. These systems can even connect to the main power grid.
With Typhoon HIL's tools, engineers can test how these complex microgrids work together. They can use real control units to simulate the entire system, including power lines and safety devices. As more energy comes from renewable sources like solar and wind, these simulation tools become very important for making sure our power systems are reliable.
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