Test Benches with Motion Platforms

Testing ECUs with integrated sensors

dSPACE test benches can be equipped with motion platforms to stimulate sensors and actuators that cannot be accessed otherwise.

  • For chassis systems and vehicle dynamics
  • Pitch and roll motion to simulate the lateral and/or longitudinal acceleration using gravity
  • Unlimited rotary motion around the vertical axis to simulate the yaw rate

Watch the video on our test benches with 3-D motion platforms.
Watch the video and learn more about testing control devices with integrated motion sensors.

Key Benefits

Test benches can also include a motion platform for electronic control units (ECUs) to stimulate the ECU’s integrated sensors. These systems allow for the stimulation of acceleration sensors and yaw rate sensors that cannot be accessed otherwise.

A dSPACE SCALEXIO system can provide additional physical variables from the environment simulation and simulate any missing components.

A typical use case for test benches with 3-D motion platforms is testing ECUs with integrated sensor clusters, such as those found in electronic stability program (ESP), also referred to as electronic stability control (ESC), applications. The sensor cluster is mounted inside a 3-D motion platform so it can be rotated around three axes to simulate the motion of a vehicle.

Available Interfaces for Industrial Drive Inverters

dSPACE offers different interfaces for industrial drive inverters depending on your requirements.

For motion platforms, a robust, industry-proven bus interface is required, since at least two inverters are integrated on the rotating platform and the interface must be routed to the rotating axis using slip rings. For this purpose, the SCALEXIO Fieldbus Solution is used to interface the industrial drive inverters via the EtherCAT protocol. An average dynamic update rate of 0.5 ms is sufficient for this application.

Parameter Specification
Pitch and roll motion
  • Pitch motion: ±45° to simulate the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle
  • Roll motion: ±45° to simulate the lateral acceleration of the vehicle
  • Rotating speed: 180°/s
  • Dynamics: ±1° at 5 Hz
Rotary motion
  • Rotating motion: Unlimited, to simulate the yaw rate of the vehicle
  • Rotating speed: 180°/s
  • Dynamics: ±1° at 2 Hz

SCALEXIO Modular real-time system for RCP and HIL applications ConfigurationDesk Configuration and implementation software for dSPACE real-time hardware ControlDesk ControlDesk is the experiment software for seamless ECU development. It handles all tasks and provides a single working environment. SCALEXIO Fieldbus Solution Connecting a SCALEXIO system to various fieldbus types Automotive Simulation Models Tool suite for simulating the engine, vehicle dynamics, electrical system, and traffic environment ASM Vehicle Dynamics Real-time models for ground vehicle simulation AutomationDesk Powerful test authoring and automation tool for HIL testing of ECUs AURELION Integrate realistic sensor data to test and validate your perception and driving functions - with AURELION, the software solution for sensor-realistic simulation.
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