Model Based Development of Automotive Human Machine Interfaces

The development of automotive human machine interfaces (HMI) currently lacks process consistency from the early concept up to the product implementation and test procedure. In this paper we present a solution that comprises a process and methods for specification, prototyping and testing of automotive HMIs. Our approach and the resulting process consistency are particularly relevant because of the heterogenity of the collaborating parties during the development stages: designer, ergonomist, platform designer, software developer, car tester, supplier etc.

Our goal is to achieve consistency between specifications and executable prototypes in an early phase of the development process. Therefore, we have designed a software framework that enables the model based specification of automotive HMIs, including the description of components, their interfaces, communication relations, test concepts, and finally their deployment to automotive hardware platforms. The HMI framework has a special focus on requirements of future automotive HMIs such as adaptivity, personalization and multimodality.