SwRI Hardware: Advanced Vehicle Technology Hardware in the Loop Test System Development

	Hardware-in-the-Loop System Development: An emerging discipline is the melding of software engineering and controls with live hardware under test conditions.

An emerging discipline becoming prevalent in recent years is the melding of software engineering and controls with live hardware under test conditions. The primary challenge from the software side is developing the simulation models and signal processing electronics to function in real-time—that is, to be able to supply control signals and input conditions to the physical hardware and then receive and process the hardware output conditions in a short enough timeframe to provide the next sequence of input states.

Virtual Vehicle Transmission Test Stand

Engineers in the advanced vehicle technology group have participated in the development of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) virtual vehicle transmission test stand, an award-winning, full hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) research station for performing transmission testing. Use of the virtual vehicle transmission test stand alleviates the need to install the transmission in a vehicle equipped with data acquisition equipment and allows engineers to modify the virtual portions of the test vehicle (engine, vehicle load) relatively easily.

Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Bench

Advanced vehicle technology engineers also supported the development of an engine HIL test bench to prototype engine electronic control units (ECUs).

For more information about hardware-in-the-loop test system development capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Joe Redfield at jredfield@swri.org or call (210) 522-3729.