Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation for Functional Verification of Multiple Control Units in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platforms are widely used in the automotive industry for testing strategies and functionalities of electronic control units (ECUs). This paper describes the HIL testbed developed in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) laboratories for the functional analysis of multiple control units in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). A case study including the ECUs dedicated to internal combustion engines (ICEs), transmissions, brakes, and electric motors (EMs) is being analyzed. Modeling construction procedures for the hardware (HW) and software components is described and their integration is characterized. HIL real-time simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed architecture for verifying the functionalities shared among the control units.