Virtual Testing Brings ECUs to Life

Early tryouts and reliable verification
Up till now, software architects had to rely on their own previous experience to assess the quality of their highly complex ECU software designs. Now they can create virtual ECUs by using a special software base to integrate and compile the ECU's application software, and then execute the virtual ECUs on a PC with the help of dSPACE Offline Simulator. As a result, software architects are now able to simulate ECU software on a PC. They can perform consistency tests, check the plausibility of interfaces, and verify task scheduling very early on. And because ECU functionality can be tried out at an early stage, it can be verified even before the first ECU prototypes are available.

Models, Layouts and Tests Reused in Different Development Phases
The vehicle and component models, which are usually created with Simulink and used as environment models during offline simulation, can be reused in later development phases. The same applies to the layouts created for ControlDesk Next Generation or other software, and to the tests themselves.
Moreover, tests can be designed on a PC and then validated and optimized by offline simulation to save valuable testing time on a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulator.

Frontloaded Tests
The earlier tests are performed, the easier and cheaper it is to correct any errors. Tests from classic HIL simulation can be brought forward to an earlier phase and executed in offline simulation. The dSPACE Offline Simulator is used to run realistic tests on a PC, including comprehensive simulation of bus communication and the basic software. This significantly increases the maturity of ECU software in early development phases.