The automotive industry routinely uses Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) systems for test and validation of ECU software. For many application scenarios, an automated execution of test runs largely increases the operational efficiency of a HiL system: Automated tests can be run on HiL systems continuously for several days and without human intervention. Test runs can be easily reproduced, and test results are generated automatically.

On the other hand, automated testing requires test case development, and this effort can be high. Hence, automated tests must be easily adaptable to work with different software variants typical for ECU software in automotive applications. Automated tests shall also be reusable on test benches from different hardware vendors, as customers typically own a mix of such systems.

Last but not least, test automation also defines how test benches are integrated into an organization’s test processes. The automation tool shall not predefine a test process, as processes vary from customer to customer. Rather, a role based approach to test bench automation, offering distinct user interfaces for clearly defined sub-tasks, such as test execution or test case parameter setting, provides maximum flexibility as well as ease-of-use.

LABCAR-AUTOMATION is an advanced, role-based test automation platform for efficient handling and execution of reusable, test bench independent test cases.