A Real-Time Test and Simulation Environment Based on Standard FPGA Hardware

Hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) testing can be very expensive because of the high acquisition costs of the required hard- and software. In this paper an alternative low-cost realisation for building up a HiL testing system is introduced. This solution is based on a standard FPGA together with a normal desktop personal computer (PC). It will be shown that almost all of the required features of a HiL testing system can be fulfilled. Furthermore, an evaluation between existing HiL solutions and the presented low-cost solution is given which shows that the FPGA-PC solution fulfills all requirements for component tests. In conclusion, the FPGA-PC HiL solution is well suited for component tests for electronic control units.