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automotive


multiple vehicle models. AUTOSAR provides that standardisation. ‘In a typical development process,’ he


continues, ‘errors are oſten found at a late stage because the code needs to be running on some sort of target before people can realise they are in the design. MBD provides engineers with the capabilities of executable specifications – they start to design with Simulink, for example, can create a model and then simulate this model with test cases. Tis provides an immediate response as to whether the design decisions being made were the right ones, enabling then to move forward in the design process.’ Sandmann points out that early verification


is a significant improvement provided by model-based design, but that many automotive projects still do comply with AUTOSAR. However, he does note that while AUTOSAR has yet to be widely adopted, many of the large OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers have made strong commitments to ensuring that every new project they set up will be compliant – a strong statement of support and one that can be seen to demonstrate that the industry no longer views the standard as being ‘questionable’. Likewise, another recent and important


standard is ISO 26262, which addresses the safety-relevant aspects of automotive applications, as Sandmann explains: ‘A few years ago, the automotive industry was working under a generic safety standard that was originally designed for automation in manufacturing industries; IEC 61508. A specific automotive standard was needed and so ISO 26262 came into effect. It details, among other safety relevant development process methods and activities, what is needed for tools to be


MapleSim includes a 3D construction environment for creating and visualising multibody models


qualified for use in high-integrity applications.’ He adds that engineers are oſten challenged


by these new standards, especially the high- integrity ones, and that while they know it is necessary to comply, it can be very difficult to read the volume of documents that define the standard and understand what the implications are for the development processes. MathWorks has therefore introduced a tailored process deployment advisory service for ISO 26262, which enables the company to perform gap analyses and consult with engineers as to what needs adjustment from a development process perspective. It will then help to implement these changes and finalise the tool qualification.


In EMEA, spending on technical applications levelled off in 2011 but has recovered in 2012, driven by a combination of new development programmes and demand for European cars from Asia. Cambashi predicts that this spend will level off again in 2013 as global economic growth stalls


26 SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD


One simulation at a time Te adoption of simulation tools within the automotive industry has been a steady process – one that, according to Ansys’ Sandeep Sovani, has reached the point where simulation has become such an ingrained part of the DNA of automotive engineering that it is now impossible to remove it from the design process. He adds that although it has not always been so deeply embedded, simulation and its benefits have now become so widely understood that the automotive industry has adopted its processes and incorporated them fully into working practices. ‘Some larger companies spend as much as five per cent or more of their entire R&D budget on simulation soſtware alone, which is a considerable investment,’ he continues, ‘and there are also many instances where simulation is being used for validation


and verification without the need for physical testing. Taking simulation out of those processes would leave a void.’ Maplesoſt’s Paul Goossens attributes this


trend to the fact that not only are prototype tests expensive, they are not very repeatable. For example, if a combination of inputs lead to a problem during a test drive, attempting to replicate them would be incredibly difficult. It can, however, be done effectively by hardware testing on real-time platforms and he states that while this is certainly not a new trend, there is an increasing adoption of these systems as engineers want to implement high-fidelity models in a real-time simulator. At the Vehicle Dynamics conference in


Stuttgart, Maplesoſt announced a formal partnership with VI-Grade, a German company that offers the ability to implement detailed drivetrain models in a real-time platform. Its goal, Goossens explains, is to migrate that to vehicle simulators so that drivers can take proposed designs around test tracks. ‘We’re working with VI-Grade to provide


a modelling environment where an engineer can take a system-level model at the detail they require and then implement it in a real-time simulator,’ he comments. ‘Te motor sports industry has been doing this for many years, but it’s still not common practice for production vehicles. It’s still early days, but we’re convinced it will take off. Obviously it is not going to replace full prototyping cycles, but shaving just one cycle off the process will represent a significant saving.’


www.scientific-computing.com


Information courtesy of Cambashi


Maplesoft


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