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TU-Clausthal Institute for Software and Systems Engineering

Hardware in the Loop Lab

Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Lab

Are you eager to work on innovative and forward-looking challenges to improve the reliability of automotive software?

Would you like to improve your skills and learn new technologies in the field of real-time simulation and testing of vehicle systems?

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation is highly recommended by the standard for functional safety in the automotive industry (ISO 26262) as a safe, reliable and realistic simulation platform for real-time validation.

The HIL lab offers you the opportunity to broaden your horizons and keep up to date with challenging and attractive projects for testing complex real-time control systems with experimental test scenarios. The main objective of the lab is to develop new methods to assess the reliability of automotive software systems and to validate safety mechanisms at an early stage of the system development process using new technologies, e.g. Machine Learning (ML).

(HIL) simulation is the best platform not only to validate the new functionality in real time under normal and abnormal conditions, but also to analyze the impact of errors in communication, actuators, sensors and control on the overall system in a safe environment. In addition, machine learning techniques are used in the laboratory so that test activities can be carried out automatically and efficiently, i.e. analyzing the effects of faults, fault detection and classification. In this way, not only the safety and reliability aspects are improved, but also the cost and effort of the validation process is reduced.

Current research directions:

  • Fault injection in real time to analyze system behavior under abnormal conditions.
  • Continuous testing of software-controlled automotive systems through test automation and DevOps approach.
  • ML-based fault detection and classification during the HIL test process in the system integration test phase.
  • Development of a digital test drive platform for real-time validation of automotive systems.

Laboratory infrastructure

  • Real-time simulator (dSPACE SCALEXIO)
  • Real control unit (MicroAutoBox II)
  • Real vehicle elements (sensors and actuators, e.g. fuel pressure sensor and throttle valve)
  • Real wheels and pedals
  • Realistic complete vehicle model and ECU model
  • Industrial software development tools from dSPACE, e.g. ModelDesk, ControlDesk, MotionDesk, AutomationDesk.
     

Contact:
E-Mail: Mohammad Abboush