TMCS

Automotive Industries

TMCS’s turnkey solutions for automotive Test and measurement starts right from Design and development, till installation and commissioning. TMCS Caters to the automotive industry requirements with various tests like, Hardware in Loop (HIL) Performance, EOL, Validation, Production, Endurance, Durability tests and Embedded software tests, Data Acquisition Systems. Automotive segment is classified based on the applications served e.g., Body and Chassis, Active Safety, Powertrain, infotainment.
Having executed multiple similar systems for distinguished clients, TMCS team is well equipped with knowledge and experience about HIL, ECU, VCU test benches TMCS supports OEM’s TIER1, TIER 2 organizations for System Integration using National Instruments (NI) Teststand, Veristand, existing CAPL code integration. TMCS Technical core team have vast experience on communication protocols like CAN, LIN, and programming languages like CAPL.

Case studies

1. HIL (Hardware in Loop)

The Automotive industry is constantly changing with new technology that needs to be tested, HIL helps to create futuristic test systems. With industry moving towards autonomous vehicles they need systems that are open, flexible and support any measurement network. The Advanced electronics involved in almost every small unit of a vehicle which controls and monitors and decide the performance of the vehicle. For vehicle safety, extensive testing is required even for the smallest ECU. In Automotive industry the real challenge is shorter time to market with increased reliability. With Increased product and technological complexity Hardware in Loop test platform is the choice of engineers which is reconfigurable and efficient. The HIL platform has Real time multicore processors, compatibility with multiple programming languages, third party integration and interfaces. This make the system more rugged and modular. To overcome the impracticalities in the test environment Hardware in loop is used this simulate the real world environment and allows inputs and outputs of the ECU and its response to different stimuli. HIL Architecture consists of the operator interface, a Realtime process AI/AO, DI/DO and ECU Operator Interface and Realtime processor provides the deterministic execution of the test system components such as hardware communication and high frequency model execution. User friendly GUI to interact and monitor the tests parameters.
Application Summary :-
1. Software will simulate the control system to stimulate the DUT.
2. DUT is interfaced with vehicle ECU via CANFD interface.
Key Points :-
1. Multiple device Communication
2. Automotive Diagnostic

2. ECU (Electronic Control Unit)

ECU is device that controls the specific functionalities, subsystems of a vehicle. It can be used for body and chassis, transmission, safety or powertrain. ECU performs number of sophisticated calculations to control a vehicle and to have optimum performance. The accurate configuration and predefined tests saves the development time. The Required hardware like, sensors, Signal Conditioning devices, PXI etc. are integrated to achieve desired functionalities and throughputs. Discrete Analog signals are processed and provided to CPU which can be a single or multiple microcontroller depending upon the design of the ECU and deliver the Signal to output drivers The drivers will post the signals to output (like throttle control, ignition, Fuel pump etc. Anti lock breaking system, electronic damping control system, power assisted steering system, traction control etc. chassis control systems can be thoroughly tested using NI hardware and LabVIEW software developments. The ECU test system designed for validation, the user friendly interface enables the effective and productive testing. Predefined test cases assures the complete test results. The test data is available for analysis and can be refereed as and when required.
Electronic Control Unit (ECU) Automotive Industries by TMCS

3. Instrument Cluster Tester

Cluster assembly in an automobile includes the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, odometer and set of telltale lamps. The test system to be developed was for the end of line functional testing of instrument cluster. The main requirement for the test setup where Voltage and Current measurement
• Ability to turn ON and turn OFF sinking & source LEDs
• Ability to generate square wave of variable frequency.
• Simulation of test sequence in software.
• Provision for future expansion.
Application
System will be used for performance and endurance test of auto-clusters. In the end of line functional testing of instrument clusters, various condition like speed, engine RPM, fuel tank level etc. were simulated through hardware and were applied to the respective pins of cluster and its behaviour to these input were noted. The speedometer & Tachometer indications are checked & these readings are within acceptable limit or not is checked, Checking of fuel gauge and temperature gauge indications, checking of tell-tale lamp conditions CAN Communication Protocol was used.
Conclusion
The test system blended properly with the production flow because of the highly reliable NI hardware and the user-friendly test software. The customer was not only able to speed up the testing process and bring down defective clusters shipped to zero but was also able to use the data from the test bench to fine tune the production process. All this was possible at one-fourth the cost of a ready to use tester because of the configurable solution offered through the Virtual Instrumentation approach.

Related solutions

We cater to diversified sectors with industry specific integration solutions. Our systems are reliable and sustainable. Robust reconfigurable and flexible engineering design helps our clients to achieve the better efficiency and throughput from these test systems.