Vehicle software and hardware interaction test box development

For a large Nordic truck and bus client a team of inContext engineers is building test boxes that enable testing of the complex interaction between vehicle software and hardware. When new vehicle components are being introduced – whether hardware or software – they need to be tested thoroughly before moving into production. For this the client has established a large test department, named The Integration Lab.
People working

The inContext team is contributing equipment for Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. HIL is a technique for development and testing of complex real-time embedded systems with close software and hardware interaction.

Each part of the vehicle is simulated in standard 19” test boxes containing all relevant mechanical and electrical parts, cables etc. For instance, one test box will represent all engine sensors, while other boxes represent the vehicle’s instrument panel, tyre pressure monitoring system, air brakes, short range radar, cameras etc. 

To simulate a complete vehicle, all the different HIL test boxes needed are put together in a rack,
configured and controlled by specific software and a PC. This “truck in a rack” setup enables the client to simulate the complete infrastructure of a vehicle, and to determine how software upgrades and new components influence the entire system.

The inContext engineering team is responsible for ordering parts for these highly complex test boxes, as well as assembling them in the quantities needed by the Integration Lab. Also, the team works with designing prototypes of new test boxes with new functionality.

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