Implementing a Processor-in-the-loop with a Universal Controller in the Virtual Test Bed

As digital processor technology has rapidly developed, researchers have proposed various methodologies to design, develop, implement, and test digital control systems. A testing procedure, called processor-in-the-loop (PIL), allows designers to verify the actual control software running in a dedicated processor which controls a virtual prototype of a plant. In this paper, we focus on the demonstration of how to implement PIL technology in the virtual test bed (VTB) with a hybrid DSP/FPGA-based control platform; PIL system structure and simulation results are presented. Based on this example, we can extend the PIL procedure in VTB to other control hardware platforms easily.