dSPACE to Provide General Motors with Hardware-in-the-Loop
NOVI, Mich., Oct. 11, 2005 -- dSPACE announced that General Motors has selected it as their preferred worldwide supplier for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) technology systems.
HIL systems are used in the vehicle development process to test software that will be part of the new vehicle's electronic controls.
"We are proud that our HIL technology emerged on top. Our products have never before been subjected to as thorough an evaluation process in advance of a purchase as was carried out by GM," said Herbert Hanselmann, CEO of dSPACE GmbH. "Our HIL simulators have been used successfully by GM groups in Europe. We are very pleased to add GM in North America and other locations to our HIL customer set and we look forward to working closer with them to further improve the productivity of their ECU (Electronic Control Unit) test systems."
General Motors employs numerous HIL systems in its worldwide technology centers to test ECUs and the functions they control in subsystems, systems, and ultimately entire vehicle networks. The component test systems may test only one function, such as mirror directional controls, within a single ECU. On the other hand, large-scale integration systems test the interaction of numerous networked ECUs to control a multitude of interactions between vehicle systems such as lighting, safety, engine, transmission, and vehicle stability.
dSPACE will provide HIL systems to GM technical centers in North America, Europe, South America and Asia.
About "HIL"
Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) in this document refers to the technique of testing electronic control units in a simulation environment using a complex integrated hardware and software system. The system typically includes a software model of the necessary vehicle systems that provide input signals to the ECU(s) being tested, and provide simulated reactions from the system being controlled. The hardware/software test system allows controlling the testing and monitoring of desired behavior and possible faults that might occur during programmed vehicle maneuvers, unintended breakdowns, or other operating conditions. Vehicle developers and their suppliers commonly use this technique as an alternative to using test vehicles on roads where prototype vehicle cost, availability and safety issues are a concern.
About dSPACE
dSPACE is a market innovator and leading producer of engineering tools for embedded controller development and testing. It provides integrated hardware and software for prototyping control algorithms, automatic generation of production code, controller testing via HIL systems, controller calibration and engineering support services. dSPACE systems enable manufacturers of controllers and ECU(s) to dramatically reduce their development times and costs and to increase product quality. In recognition of its pioneering role in HIL, Frost & Sullivan named dSPACE "2005 Manufacturing Test Company of the Year". In addition to its worldwide headquarters in Paderborn, Germany and its North American headquarters in Novi, Mich., the company has subsidiaries in France, Japan, and the United Kingdom and representatives worldwide. Today, over 12,000 dSPACE systems are in use worldwide, serving customers in the automotive, aerospace, academic, off-highway transportation, engineering, and robotics industries.
More information is available at http://www.dspaceinc.com/