Rapid specification of hardware-in-the-loop test systems in the automotive domain based on the electric / electronic architecture description of, vehicles

The fast growth of complexity of modern cars, motorbikes and commercial vehicles continues. Although the number of applied Electronic Control Units (ECUs) decreases, they have to fulfill more and more functions concerning performance, comfort and safety. The electric and electronic architecture (EEA) of a vehicle forms the basis for those features and functionalities. An elaborated and evaluated EEA is developed in the concept phases of the vehicle development lifecycle. For a short time, the tool PREEvision offers the possibilities to model EEAs considering different views to the architecture (requirements, software, hardware, wiring harness, topology, etc.). For test and evaluation of the vehicle´s functionalities, Hardware in the Loop (HiL) technology is utilized to cover the integration phase of hardware and software. The specification and design of HiL test systems (HiL-TS) is a complex and time-consuming procedure that can be supported by information about electric and electronic artifacts and their relationship, both available in the EEA model. This paper presents an approach for rapid specification, development and application of HiL-TSs as well as rapidly prototyping systems.