Hardware-in-the-loop – or HIL – has been a proven element of model-based development for many years. Machine models developed in simulation tools like Simulink® or MapleSim™ are transferred via automatic code generation to a real-time environment where they emulate the behavior of the system. The result is a secure development environment for critical testing of new functions.
HIL on industrial PCs from B&R
Standard HIL solutions are based on expensive and unwieldy laboratory hardware, but industry-proven PCs from B&R are the perfect platform for this purpose. B&R systems can communicate using many standard fieldbus interfaces and are well-suited for continuous operation in harsh industrial environments. Using "Automation Studio Target for Simulink", system models implemented in the simulation environment are transferred to the real-time platform at the push of a button. A wide range of modern control and drive products makes it possible to model an entire system. "Developers of test stations or test environments in the automobile and aerospace industries in particular are able to profit directly from the advantages of B&R systems," states Elmar Zimmerling, global account manager for the automotive industry at B&R.
