A Virtual Vehicle Simulator Controlled by Networked Embedded Systems via LIN, CAN, and FlexRay

This paper presents a virtual vehicle simulator for testing networked embedded systems. These days a vehicle can include up to one hundred electronic control units. These control units are connected via communication media in order to improve the performance of vehicles. However, it is not an easy process to test electronic control units in real vehicles. Thus, we propose a virtual simulation of a vehicle which is controlled by an embedded network system. The simulator provides the essential requirements necessary to accurately test networked embedded systems. The proposed simulator provides a three-dimensional (3D) modeled virtual vehicle which is controlled by multiple networked embedded systems that transmit information to the simulator via LIN, CAN, and FlexRay communication protocols. This simulator enables us to predict the vehicle’s dynamics and communication problems.