Automotive & motorsport
generate 3G, 4G/LTE, Bluetooth, or digital radio. In the future, WMG will use the platform with NI USRP devices to generate V2X for testing vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) HIL within a synthetic environment.
simulator arChiteCture
The 3xD simulator allows car manufacturers to test their designs earlier in the V-cycle. Image courtesy of WMG.
with the RF environment, including satellite information. This would enable a driver to be completely immersed and in the loop and enable the vehicle manufacturer to test its vehicle earlier in the design process to avoid costly design changes that may be required if defects are found later. The simulator would provide insight into how both the user and system (vehicle) interact with their environment within a safe, controlled, and repeatable environment. For example, WMG can test how the driver reacts when noise is added to the car stereo or how the vehicle reacts when satellite signals are lost in an urban environment.
CommuniCation Capabilities
WMG wanted to fully emulate the vehicle’s and driver’s sensors, which includes not only LiDAR,
RADAR, and scenery generation (visual) but also Bluetooth, 4G, V2X, and, most importantly, location information using GNSS. Emulating satellite constellations that provide position information (GNSS) requires distinguishing between different environments. Driving on urban roads, intra-urban roads, and motorways inhibits different signal characteristics, such as signal strengths, reflections, and a number of satellites that are visible. WMG selected NI’s PXI platform to
emulate the RF environment because of the versatility and flexibility of the equipment. By combining it with LabVIEW, WMG can program the vector signal transceivers to dynamically change the signal type and strength of the satellites depending on the vehicle’s simulated position. Because of the flexibility of the platform, WMG can also
The 3xD simulator includes a 360-degree projection screen, a real-time vehicle emulator to emulate engine and transmission, an in-vehicle surround sound system, extensive data storage, and the RF environment emulator. The RF emulator uses three NI PXIe-1085 chassis with two vector signal generators (6.6 GHz) and two vector signal transceivers (6.6 GHz) that can generate GNSS, AM/FM/DAB, and 4G/LTE channels simultaneously. The vehicle environment simulator includes a
scenario editor, which is used to define road setups, object placements, road signage, and other traffic. During the simulation, this data along with information such as velocity, direction, acceleration, object size, and location is provided to the RF emulator. Additional information from other simulated traffic such as turn indicators and brake light status is provided for V2X connectivity testing. WMG worked with an NI Alliance Partner to
develop the software for the RF emulator using LabVIEW. The group applied the object-oriented Actor Framework to help create multiple independent functions, which can communicate with each other in a single application. In addition to core functionality, examples of specific actors are infotainment radio, GNSS, and mobile and network actors. The Alliance Partner helped WMG speed up its development and provided at-hand programming expertise and a software architecture that can scale with the
This diagram depicts the 3xD simulator architecture. Image courtesy of WMG.
Instrumentation Monthly February 2019
Continued on page 40... 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
