Infotainment-Free Sunroof Control Testing Using National Instruments Framework

Verification of sunroof operation via voice commands conventionally necessitates a fully assembled vehicle platform integrated with an updated Body Control Module (BCM) and infotainment software. This hardware-software dependency presents significant limitations, particularly during the early stages of development, where rapid validation and iteration are critical. Additionally, vehicle availability and software readiness often act as bottlenecks in the validation process. To address this, a novel approach has been developed to simulate sunroof operations—including both physical switch and voice command inputs—using a National Instruments (NI) system. This setup eliminates the reliance on the vehicle’s BCM and infotainment system by simulating LIN commands directly through the NI interface. The integration of the sunroof module with the NI system facilitates comprehensive bench-level testing, including functional validation, endurance evaluation, and abuse case simulation. This approach not only enables earlier detection of potential issues but also reduces reliance on prototype vehicle builds and software releases.