Nowadays, Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) represents a crucial methodology in the development and validation of control systems, particularly in sectors such as automotive, marine, and aerospace. It involves creating a virtual representation of a real environment with varying levels of accuracy.
Using SIL techniques, engineers can develop and test software in the early stages of the development cycle, reducing overall time-to-market and costs. Typically, to simulate complex control systems, a primary tool is used to manage and integrate an entire application-specific environment composed of application software, plants, sensors and actuators, and communication protocols.
Although several commercial solutions are currently available on the market to support SIL activities, Dumarey wanted to explore the possibility of developing an in-house software tool to leverage the benefits of SIL.
This paper provides a high-level overview of the main steps involved in developing a complete SIL framework in contexts compliant with Autosar and based on FMI standards. In the first part of the paper, the main choices behind the development of a SIL tool will be presented, such as the selection of the GUI programming language, the simulation engine, the co-simulation framework, scripting languages, and more.
In the second part, the authors will discuss the key features a SIL solution should offer, including C-code building, C-code debugging, virtual calibration, XCP/ASAP2, and a bus analyzer.
In the final part of the paper, the tool is assessed by selecting two projects and comparing the results of a HIL bench with SIL results. The comparison highlights the consistency and accuracy of the SIL tool, demonstrating its ability to replicate real-world scenarios in a virtual simulation environment.