dSPACE Offers A Solution For Developing and Testing New Technologies For Smart Charging

By Tiera Oliver

Associate Editor

Embedded Computing Design

April 14, 2020

News

dSPACE Offers A Solution For Developing and Testing New Technologies For Smart Charging

The DS5366 Smart Charging Solution includes the integration of existing test systems and a test depth that can be adjusted depending on customer requirements.

The DS5366 Smart Charging Solution from dSPACE offers automobile manufacturers and providers of charging stations a solution for developing and testing technologies for smart charging. 

The solution from dSPACE consists of a software part that contains an open model and a hardware module for communication, according to ISO 15118. This ensures an adaptation to the powerline communication. Logging of all communication events allows for manual or automatic checks of the intended behavior and compliance with the protocol specification, as well as performing an error diagnosis. It also supports the execution of conformance tests, according to the standard.

The DS5366 Smart Charging Solution includes the integration of existing test systems and a test depth that can be adjusted depending on customer requirements. Manipulations are possible both at the electrical and at the protocol level. 

Solution for Testing Onboard Chargers, Charging Stations, and Communication Modules

The dSPACE DS5366 Smart Charging Solution enables the simulation of a wide variety of charging stations in the lab, emulates communication errors, and ensures that the ECU functions without errors.

It will also be possible to test the compatibility between the developed charging stations and numerous simulated vehicles during tests on the charging station.

Another focus area is the development of onboard chargers. If no software or hardware is available for charging communication during the development of a vehicle charge controller, the dSPACE solution can replace the vehicle ECUs or their communication controllers for testing in-vehicle prototypes. 

A Turn-Key Test Environment with the ASM Tool Suite 

In combination with dSPACE Automotive Simulation Models (ASM), the dSPACE tool suite for simulating motors, vehicle dynamics, electric components, and the traffic environment, the Smart Charging Solution becomes a turn-key application for battery-powered electric vehicles, including real-time, high-voltage battery simulation.

The models also include emulation of a charging station in which the charging voltage depends on the vehicle power consumption, which is determined by the charging control unit that is tested in the vehicle. If no charge controller is available, ASM lets users simulate a controller using a constant current constant voltage (CCCV) charging process. The demo models are prepared in such a way that all signals required for communication with the control units are available. This enables testing of the control algorithms and the interfaces between all devices, according to standards such as CHAdeMO, ISO 15118, and GB/T 20234.2.

For more information, visit: https://www.dspace.com/en/inc/home.cfm

Tiera Oliver, Associate Editor for Embedded Computing Design, is responsible for web content edits, product news, and constructing stories. She also assists with newsletter updates as well as contributing and editing content for ECD podcasts and the ECD YouTube channel. Before working at ECD, Tiera graduated from Northern Arizona University where she received her B.S. in journalism and political science and worked as a news reporter for the university’s student led newspaper, The Lumberjack.

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