From the Field | Remote Vehicle Control for Commercial Vehicles on Roller Test Benches for Daimler Truck AG

Softing offers a universal vehicle remote control system for driverless operation of commercial vehicles on chassis dynamometers based on cost-effective industrial automation technology components.

Drivetrains for traditional drive system variants, gas engines, hybrid drive systems, battery electric and fuel cell drive systems can be simulated in realistic driving conditions on the test bench and developed to production standard.

Key vehicle functions such as driving mode selection, gear selection, cruise control, retarder and throttle can be remotely and automatically controlled, enabling driverless operation. Many complex measurements that were previously carried out exclusively only on the road can now be performed on the dynamometer under comparable boundary conditions and with a high degree of repeatability.

Acting as an interface between the test bench automation and the vehicle electronics, the vehicle remote control converts setpoints from the test bench automation into messages for the vehicle’s CAN bus and emulates the vehicle's accelerator pedal using pulse width modulation (PWM).

The system consists of two parts: a compact control box in the vehicle, which is connected via a vehicle-specific adapter, and a control PC as an interface to the test bench automation system. Communication with the automation system is via the EtherCAT® real-time protocol. 

The concept was most recently implemented at the Daimler Truck's Wörth plant on the Road-to-Rig (R2R) commercial vehicle all-wheel drive chassis dynamometer as an extension for the operation of battery electric vehicles (BEV) and fuel cell vehicles (FCEV). 

For further information, please contact us at [email protected]. Your contact person is Dr. Tobias Kolb.