Considerations for automatic testing of complex shipboard systems

An approach for automatically testing complex shipboard systems is developed. After first considering the general system requirements of such a system, the paper considers the advantages and disadvantages associated with automatic testing. Based on these tradeoffs, a technique is developed for automatically testing large complex systems such as that found aboard a ship. The concept considers both hardware and software requirements which will minimize uncertainties associated with automatic testing. The paper concludes with an example of a recent Navy development in the area of centralized shipboard, general-purpose, on-line systems for monitoring and fault isolation—the Test Evaluation and Monitoring System (TEAMS).