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Omer Alkarkhi
TIC-ingenjör
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Calibrated Tachographs Contribute to Well Rested and Traffic-Safe Drivers
Trucks and buses must be equipped with tachographs that record speed and driving and rest times. These regulations exist to ensure that drivers are rested and traffic-safe, and to create a level playing field in competition. However, to rely on the tachograph's measurements, calibration is required, and this is where RISE plays an important role.
Tachographs must be inspected and calibrated regularly, which is crucial for ensuring the reliability of the information they provide. Not adhering to these regulations can be costly for both the driver and the transport company. Calibration is carried out by an accredited workshop.
"The workshop uses a so-called tachograph calibrator to perform the calibration. The calibrator pretends to be the truck and generates signals to the tachograph about, for example, distance, speed, and time. By comparing the information in the tachograph with the calibrator, we ensure that the tachograph is accurate," says Omer Alkarkhi, TIC engineer at the National Laboratory for Electrical Quantities.
The calibrator pretends to be the truck and generates signals to the tachograph about, for example, distance, speed, and time
But how do we know that the tachograph calibrator is accurate? To trust measurements, a chain of calibrations is required all the way up to the definition of the unit. Through this traceability chain, we can expect, for instance, a meter to be a meter worldwide, which is a prerequisite for international trade, research, and production.
"This is where we at RISE come in with our new service for calibrating tachograph calibrators. Workshops send their equipment to us, and we calibrate it, primarily concerning time and frequency," says Omer Alkarkhi.
RISE Meets the Need
Previously, a private company offered this service, but now RISE is the go-to for workshops.
"It's easier for us, working in many different adjacent metrological areas, to maintain the necessary expertise. This is an example of RISE's important role when industry and business cannot themselves meet the existing needs," says Maria Hammarquist, research and development engineer.
Closer to the End Customer
Usually, laboratories that perform calibrations for customers turn to the national laboratories at RISE to calibrate their equipment.
"But here, we work closer to the end customer, meeting the workshops that will actually use the equipment, which is very enjoyable," says Omer Alkarkhi.