dSPACE(digital signal processing and control engineering) is a leading provider of simulation and validation solutions for developing connected, autonomous, and electrically powered vehicles. With over 2,900 employees worldwide, dSPACE has offices in Paderborn, Germany, four project centers in Germany, and serves customers through its regional companies in the USA, the UK, France, Japan, China, Croatia, South Korea, India, and Sweden.
The company's end-to-end solutions are used in particular by automotive manufacturers and their suppliers to test the software and hardware components of their new vehicles long before a new model hits the road. dSPACE is not only a sought-after partner in vehicle development, but engineers also rely on our know-how in the fields of aerospace, agriculture, and industrial automation. The portfolio ranges from end-to-end simulation and validation solutions to engineering and consulting services, training, and support.
Control design
The control design phase involves developing the control algorithms that will run on an ECU, usually by modeling them graphically. This process can be performed with Simulink, modeling software from MathWorks, and is outside dSPACE's application fields.
Rapid control prototyping (RCP)
In rapid control prototyping, control algorithms are taken from a mathematical model and implemented as a real-time application so that the control strategies can be tested with the actual controlled system, such as a car or a robot. Simulink is used as the input and simulation tool, and Simulink Coder, also from MathWorks, is used as the code generator. dSPACE provides the necessary hardware platform consisting of a processor and interfaces for sensors and actuators, plus the Simulink blocks needed to integrate the interfaces into the Simulink model (Real-Time Interface, RTI).
Production code generation / ECU autocoding
In a development process based on mathematical models, the models are designed with graphical software, and then automatic production code generators are used to translate the models directly into code for ECUs/controllers. When a model's behavior has been validated, the code generator has to reliably transfer it to the target processor, whose resources are usually designed for the greatest possible cost-efficiency. In other words, the final production ECU generally has less memory and processing power than the RCP system on which the algorithm was developed and tested. As a result, the C code (production code) generated for the target processor has to meet stringent requirements regarding execution time and efficiency. In 1999, dSPACE introduced the production code generator TargetLink,[3] which is integrated into Simulink, the environment for model-based development. In addition to performing the actual autocoding, including code generation for AUTOSAR software components, TargetLink also makes it possible for developers to compare the behavior of the generated code with that of the original Simulink model (by means of software-in-the-loop (SIL) and processor-in-the-loop (PIL) simulation).
Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)-Simulation
Simulation hardware
In HIL simulation,[4][5] a simulator mimics the environment in which an ECU will function: a car, an airplane, a robot, etc. First the ECU's inputs and outputs are connected to the simulator's inputs and outputs. In the next step, the simulator executes a real-time model of the ECU's working environment, which can consist of Automotive Simulation Models (ASMs) from dSPACE or of models from other vendors. This method provides a way to test new functions reproducibly in a safe environment, before a prototype of the product has even been produced. As with rapid control prototyping, Simulink models are the foundation. The advantage of HIL simulation in comparison with ECU tests in real prototype vehicles is that the tests on the control unit can be performed already during the development process. Errors are detected and eliminated very early and cost-efficiently.
Calibration / parameterization
Optimizing the control functions so that they fit specific applications is an integral part of ECU and controller development. To achieve this, the parameters of the ECUs are adjusted during ECU calibration. dSPACE offers software and hardware for this task.
Company history
New dSPACE building in Paderborn
1988: dSPACE is founded by Herbert Hanselmann and three other research associates at the Institute of Mechatronics at the University of Paderborn, Germany.
1991: First local dSPACE company outside Germany opens (dSPACE Inc.) Initially outside Detroit USA in Southfield, Michigan, relocated to Wixom in 2007.
2001: Local dSPACE companies are opened in France (dSPACE SARL, Paris) and the UK (dSPACE Ltd., Melbourn near Cambridge); and a second Project Center is opened (near Stuttgart)
2006: The local dSPACE company in Japan is opened (dSPACE K.K.). Initially in Yokohama, relocated to Tokyo in 2007.
2008: The company's 20th anniversary. The local dSPACE company in China (dSPACE Mechatronic Control Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.) is founded, and Herbert Hanselmann receives the "Entrepreneur Of The Year 2008" award[6]
2010: dSPACE GmbH relocates to the new campus in Paderborn, Germany.
2018: The local dSPACE company in Croatia is opened (dSPACE Engineering d.o.o.) in Zagreb.
2021: The local dSPACE company in South Korea is opened (dSPACE Korea Co. Ltd.) in Seoul.
2023: The local dSPACE company in India is opened (dSPACE India Solutions Pvt. Ltd.) in Bangalore.
History of dSPACE products
1988: First real-time development system for control technology/mechatronics, based on a digital signal processor
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