Virtual network and co-simulation
Real-time network of connected test benches and co-simulation
An important step toward reaching ambitious climate- and environment protection goals is the continuous improvement of the innovative virtual system development – “frontloading” – for conventional and electrified powertrains.
Future mobility requires complex test scenarios with interconnected, electrified and automated vehicles. Specifically, the advantages of combining innovations in the field of the connected testing environment and real-time co-simulation need to be further exploited in order to reduce development time, costs and time-to-market of future powertrains, see Figure 1.
To achieve progress regarding this objective, a new development methodology, “virtual development”, has been established with the novel co-simulation approach combining various testing environments and powertrain simulation models. This allows investigating an extensive variety of vehicle systems with respect to their compliance with the Real Driving Emissions, in short RDE, regulations in an early development stage. For that purpose, the simulated vehicle and its sub-systems are interconnected with physical powertrain components in an advanced co-simulation testing environment, see Figure above.
Co-simulation is a particularly promising approach for interoperable modular development. This modular environment can be used in the development of complex real-time embedded systems, xCU, such as Engine Control Unit, ECU, Hybrid Control Unit, HCU, Vehicle Control Unit, VCU, etc, see Figure 2.