Reconfigurable real-time hardware-in-the-loop environment for automotive electronic control unit testing and verification

To satisfy the ever increasing needs for safety, comfort, and environment protection of today´s vehicles, the Electronic Control Units (ECU) and various sensors are getting more and more complex. Therefore, developing new control algorithms and cost efficient verification tools for a new generation of ECUs and sensors has become a highly important issue. This paper deals with the design and implementation of a versatile automated Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test environment, which facilitates the development of control algorithms, calibration, and verification of state of the art sensors and ECUs. The environment is able to emulate the vehicles´ dynamic behavior, reduces the time required for development and testing, and eliminates the need for using expensive real vehicles for testing purposes.