Closed-Loop Testing at the Mechanical Level
Integrate vehicle dynamics models and interfaces even in highly time-critical interfaces
Virtual Test Drives
Include real components, in real time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Scalable and Versatile
Add components or simulator systems as needed
Turn-key System
From test scenarios to test-system designs to test-ready systems
Why do I need mechatronic test benches and what do they offer?
Sometimes a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation is not feasible because interfaces are not accessible or creating a realistic simulation model is too laborious, e.g., for testing ESP or ABS sensors or passenger detection. In these cases, a mechatronic test bench provides the solution. Real hardware components are used to provide the required input for the ECU. dSPACE offers turn-key solutions for this that allow for closed-loop tests at the mechanical level as well and are tailored to your specific needs.
Each test bench is as unique as the task it addresses. Its properties depend on the real components that need to be connected, the type of device under test and the access to it, the available space, and much more.
With over 20 years of experience in building mechanical test benches, our dSPACE engineers support you all along the definition and decision-making process.
Key Benefits
- Outstanding real-time behavior (in terms of latency, jitter, and synchronization, even for multiprocessor systems)
- Open flexible controller implementation and instrumentation environment
- Open automotive plant models enabling virtual test drives in a closed loop
- Turn-key test bench concepts for different applications such as electromechanical power steering, braking systems, electronic stability control systems, and autonomous driving
- Scalable from the individual component to the entire system
- Customized extensions such as environment simulation using an integrated climate chamber
What our Customers say
The dSPACE steering system test bench at the Velbert/Heiligenhaus campus of Bochum University of Applied Sciences is one of the most powerful and flexible in the world and even allows subjective assessments.
The expandability and versatility of AutomationDesk make it easy to automate test bench environments, including the various types of equipment the test benches require.
Our engineers were able to use the dSPACE test bench very productively for a wide range of chassis control tests.
We are very satisfied with the dSPACE test bench. We were able to achieve our quality goals with this powerful test system.
The radar test bench gives us the opportunity to evaluate and test radar sensors early on. This greatly improves development of the software for radar processing and autonomous driving
There is a long-time collaboration between Renault and dSPACE. As a trusty partner, Renault benefits from dSPACE’s excellent HIL benches, innovative hardware solutions and very streamlined software suits and libraries.
In just one day during the system integration phase, we were able to set up a test bench to investigate a communication protocol issue by adapting test benches developed during the software and system verification phase.
Project-specific Test Benches
Fully Customized Test Bench
If the standard test benches do not fit your application or use case, dSPACE offers test benches for a wide range of applications that can be tailored to your individual requirements.
Thanks to the model-based approach for control implementation and the high-speed interfaces, there are hardly any limits when it comes to meeting your individual requirements. With our years of experience in motor control and hundreds of test bench projects, we can choose from a wide range of predefined control structures that can be easily adapted to your project needs. These include the following:
- Forward control of force and torque based on motor currents
- Feedback control of force and torque based on test bench sensors
- Motion control (cascaded control including generation of motion profiles)
- Compensation of disturbance variables (mass or inertia, friction, cogging, etc.)
The dSPACE hardware offers the required scalability, real-time performance, I/O interfaces, and a powerful tool chain to control an entire test bench. In addition, dSPACE provides interfaces to all automotive buses, e.g., CAN, CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay, K-/L-Line, and Automotive Ethernet.
Support from the Initial Scenario to the Final Test System
For designing and installing a mechanical hardware-in-the-loop (mHIL) system or test bench, dSPACE supports its customers during the whole process:
Test Benches for Everyone – From Small to Very, Very Large
Interview with Andreas Fiedler and Marcel Pleischl, product managers for mechatronic test benches at dSPACE
dSPACE has been offering mechatronic test benches since 2007, thereby extending its hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. What advantages does this have for our customers?
Test benches enable closed-loop tests for mechatronic components and systems where access for HIL simulation via electrical interfaces is not possible due to the high degree of integration. Test benches offer exceptional real-time behavior and the possibility of virtual closed-loop test drives. They are therefore indispensable for the validation of complex control systems. The test benches also have optimized, low-latency interfaces between the dSPACE real-time system and the drive controllers. This lays the foundation for efficient HIL testing at the mechanical level.
The first test benches were often related to steering. To what extent have the requirements for or the focus of test benches changed?
That's right. At the beginning, the focus was on functional testing of steering systems. Over time, however, the field has broadened considerably. For one thing, target applications have been added such as brake systems, control units with integrated sensors such as ESP, and non-automotive applications such as industrial drives and the aerospace industry, to name just a few examples.
In addition, dSPACE supplies test benches with different test focuses – from component tests for sensors and actuators, for example, to high-performance mechatronic test systems for function development and systems for testing the integration of individual ECUs as an overall system. The basic technology used in dSPACE mechatronic test benches is flexible enough to support these different requirements for test systems. With this range, dSPACE's test bench business is developing from a niche area with just a few system deliveries per year to an area with almost 500 test systems in the field.
ISO 26262 is relevant for safety-critical systems. Can test benches also provide support in this area?
According to ISO 26262, our customers must test the functional safety of their steering and brake control units in the non-manipulated production state. Due to the high degree of integration of the electronic control system into the mechanical system, this is not feasible without mechatronic test benches. High reproducibility of the test cases is extremely important. It is of crucial importance for the validation and verification of control systems. Furthermore, the focus is particularly on control, which is where dSPACE comes into play with its real-time simulation expertise.
We are currently experiencing a profound shift in the automotive industry – away from the combustion engine and towards electric cars. What does this mean for test benches?
There are two main areas in the automotive industry that also affect mechatronic test benches. The first area is the switch to electromobility, which has revolutionized the braking behavior of vehicles. Electric vehicles use their drive motors to optimize their range by using recuperative braking. During heavy braking maneuvers, however, the classic braking system with the friction brake takes over. The seamless blending of these two braking modes is crucial for the safe deceleration of the vehicle, especially in dangerous situations. The coupling between the simulated drivetrain and the real brake system is of particular interest for mechanical test benches.
The second area concerns developments in the field of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD). This results in new requirements for steering systems, especially for steer-by-wire systems. New control concepts are being developed to operate these steering systems safely and conveniently. There are also new requirements for mechatronic test benches, both for autonomous operation and for driver intervention.
What can we expect in the future?
One of the main drivers in recent years in the area of testing safety-critical components in vehicles is the validation of x-by-wire systems. These are innovative technologies in which mechanical connections are replaced by electronic controls, for example, for brakes or steering.
Electrification is also progressing in the commercial vehicle sector, with electrically assisted steering systems now also finding their way into trucks, for example, making electronic control units an integral part of the steering system. This marks a shift from purely mechanical steering testing to the validation of complex control systems. This places high demands on dynamics and the real-time simulation of driving dynamics. As a result, systems for new orders of magnitude of forces and torques are needed to test the steering systems. With its many years of experience in the automotive industry, dSPACE is a competent partner for its customers worldwide.
Mr. Fiedler, Mr. Pleischl, thank you for talking to us.
