Wineman Technology, a leading automotive design and test system integrator, and Tecnalia, one of the largest applied research institutes in the world, today announce Dynacar, a fully validated, real-time vehicle model simulator for developing and testing passenger and light commercial vehicles, from conventional to electric and hybrid. Dynacar is a plug-in for Wineman Technology’s INERTIA test automation software and National Instruments VeriStand real-time test and simulation software. The first simulator of its kind, Dynacar provides a new tool for the automotive industry by changing the way vehicle systems and sub-systems are designed and tested. With Dynacar, automotive engineers can move away from the traditional, compartmentalized, and inefficient testing of individual vehicle components to an integrated, customizable, and complete vehicle test environment approach that can be used through the entire vehicle development process.
“To meet the demand for reliable new technology in vehicles, auto manufacturers must have a seamless development process,” said Jim Wineman, CEO of Wineman Technology. “By using the Dynacar, combined with INERTIA and NI VeriStand, test engineers have one framework for the whole process, allowing them to efficiently and rapidly prototype, implement, and real-time test vehicle components.”
Streamlining the Entire Vehicle Development Process
Dynacar provides a common test platform that engineers can use through the entire development cycle from the early vehicle design, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and dynamometer testing phases to the production floor. Engineers start with a fully validated vehicle model that they can quickly customize by simply changing parameters on the fly using the intuitive graphic user interface, or plugging in their own models using Dynacar as a virtual rolling chassis.
With Dynacar, individual and traditionally isolated vehicle sub-system hardware and software tests, such as ECU testing and motor simulation in dynamometers, can now be tested within the larger vehicle environment. Unlike the traditional process where engineers test vehicle sub-systems independently and not as part of an entire vehicle system, with Dynacar, they are now able to see how their particular components work as part of the whole system, ultimately improving product reliability, reducing development costs, and speeding time to market. This new approach is particularly suited for the increasingly complex systems developed in alternative vehicles, including electric drives, battery packs, torque control algorithms, distributed electric drives, and advanced, model-based test benches.
A Robust, Deterministic, and Fast Solution Based on Off-the-Shelf Technology
Dynacar is based on off-the-shelf hardware and software technology, providing a robust solution that delivers deterministic performance and is easy to integrate. Dynacar is fully developed in National Instruments LabVIEW Real-Time and integrated into a vehicle’s design and test platform using INERTIA, NI VeriStand, and off-the-shelf PXI control and test hardware.
With INERTIA and NI VeriStand, Dynacar offers less than 1ms loop-closure rates and an easy-to-use graphical user interface with drop-down menus for development and testing. In addition, custom control algorithms and simulation models generated with other languages can easily be integrated into the vehicle model, and through menu-drive options, engineers can quickly and easily change parameter values or plug-in and test another model in a complete vehicle environment.
Dynacar was created by Tecnalia and produced with the help of Wineman Technology. The new model is already being used by several of the leading European and U.S. automotive and component manufacturers. Dynacar is distributed in the Americas by Wineman Technology, and readers can find out more about Dynacar on the company’s website at http://www.winemantech.com/products/11/dynacar-vehicle-model-simulator.html.
About Tecnalia
Tecnalia, the foremost private applied research center in Spain, is a multidisciplinary, private, and independent not-for-profit corporation, that leverages their research teams’ specific knowledge and experience to provide integrated solutions that create business opportunities for their clients thereby contributing to sustained economic development through technological innovation. Tecnalia’s Transport Business Unit develops solutions and generates business opportunities based on automotive, aerospace, and aeronautical R&D projects. Tecnalia has been using the Dynacar tool for the development of vehicle controllers, advanced powertrain components, and state-of-the-art test benches.
Dynacar is a trademark of Tecnalia, in the U.S. and other countries. LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com, and NI VeriStand are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Wineman Technology is proud to be name a National Instruments (NI) Gold Alliance Partner. Gold Alliance Partners use their application expertise and in-depth knowledge of NI products to build customer-defined solutions in a wide range of industries and applications. Wineman Technology currently has six LabVIEW Certified Developers and five LabVIEW Certified Architects, and provides systems integration, production automation, automated test systems, controls engineering, and software, electrical, and mechanical engineering services.
