Integrating SiL, HiL and OTA Sensors: A Testbed Architecture for Modular Software-Defined Vehicles

Kurzfassung

The increasing complexity of automotive software, combined with the demand for shorter development cycles, presents significant challenges in the development and validation of safety-critical functions, particularly in Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs). This paper investigates how a simulation and test environment can support the modular development and early-stage evaluation of software systems across various stages of an SDV lifecycle. To address this, a flexible test environment is proposed that enables a stepwise transition from fully virtual Software-in-the-Loop (SiL) testing to more realistic setups using Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) and Over-The-Air (OTA) sensors. The environment integrates standardised interfaces such as the Open-Simulation-Interface (OSI) and a message-oriented middleware to ensure modularity and scalability. Central components include an adapter module for seamless integration of the System under Test (SuT) and a component for automated deployment and testing. A proof-of-concept implementation demonstrates the feasibility of hybrid simulation setups and automated test execution. The results show reduced integration effort, seamless migration between SiL and HiL, and effective validation with both simulated and physical sensors, enabling early-stage evaluation of modular SDV.