Software geared to autonomous vehicle testing

The provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, NI, has released VeriStand 2016, the latest version of its software used by embedded software test engineers to build and run Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) verification systems. Today’s engineers face increasingly compressed, shifting schedules and constantly changing requirements driven by the emergence of the connected car and autonomous vehicles. VeriStand and NI’s HIL systems are the most open and customizable platforms available on the market to help companies meet these changing demands and future-proof their test systems.

Engineers take advantage of NI’s HIL systems to tackle the increasing complexity of embedded software and rising number of testing scenarios required as the newer technologies that make up next gen vehicles like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), automotive radar and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) become commonplace in embedded control systems. By building on open and proven technology software and hardware platforms, NI can quickly add native support for these new technologies to ensure customers can achieve complete software test coverage.

Additionally, with NI offices in 49 countries and a worldwide network of NI Alliance Partners with vertical industry and systems integration experience, turnkey test systems that meet customers’ particular application requirements can be delivered and supported.

“Through NI’s flexible platform-based approach, we could easily customize the HIL system to integrate specific test requirements for the vehicle electronic controllers,” said Zhang Fuli of Beijing Jingwei HiRain Technologies, an NI Alliance Partner. “The NI software and hardware systems made it easy to add functionality to our tests and satisfy the practical requirements of automotive HIL testing while retaining stability and reliability, and reducing the overall development cycle.”

VeriStand is the software core of NI’s HIL systems. It combines real time simulation, data acquisition, communication protocols and control into a common platform for the most complete HIL test software on the market today. And unlike traditional HIL software that is defined by the vendor and hard to modify, VeriStand can easily be extended and customized to meet customers’ particular test requirements. With the newest release of the software customers can:

• Achieve complete test coverage by taking advantage of the full breadth of NI I/O, including RF and camera processing
• Use their models from over 30 different modeling tool and simulation environments such as The MathWorks, Simulink software and IPG Carmaker to test ECUs for the latest embedded software trends such as ADAS and autonomous vehicles
• Create professional looking UIs quickly and interact more efficiently with live tests using the completely redesigned UI manager
• Connect with third-party hardware and software through the industry-standard ASAM XIL API
• Work more efficiently with extremely large models using the improved model handling engine