Hardware-in-the-loop Testing Concepts & Applications

Hardware-in-the-loop testing

Hardware-in-the-loop testing applications

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Hardware in the loop conceptual diagram

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing provides a way of simulating sensors, actuators and mechanical components in a way that connects all the I/O of the ECU being tested, long before the final system is integrated.

As the complexity of electronic control units (ECUs) increases, the number of combinations of tests required to ensure correct functionality and response increases exponentially

Testing embedded control systems

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Embedded systems development cycle diagram

An embedded control system is generally a single physical device comprising a compute engine such as a microcontroller or FPGA and supporting electronics for power supply and interfacing requirements.

There are many stages where testing (such as MIL, SIL, RCP, HIL and Robustness testing) can be performed to help deliver a correctly functioning 

Fault insertion technology

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Fault insertion artistic diagram

Fault insertion, fault injection or FI solutions are used to apply the kinds of electrical errors most likely to occur in an application when something goes wrong.

Common failures that can occur are broken wires, or wires shorted to the main supply or ground, due to shorts within a wiring harness. Occasionally wire-to-wire shorts can occur too.

Genix technology

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Genix hardware in the loop products

Genix is a range of technologies for hardware-in-the-loop simulation that allow engineers to re-configure and scale test environments quickly as requirements change.

Systems are available from 3U target racks to full vehicle, utilising special purpose cards such as programmable loads, fault insertion, switching systems and further custom interfaces. It therefore allows a diverse range of HIL systems to be built.

Using complex I/O for special testing requirements

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HIL modules to real world I/O

Hardware-in-the-loop test systems can be augmented with a range of distributed units to simulate electronics positioned throughout the vehicle.

Typical application might include the simulation of resistive components such as fuel tank floats, the generation of fast complex sensor signals from fast-moving engine components, or communications switching.

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