Testbed.CONNECT

Testbed.CONNECT™ is an open simulation platform for the integration of real-time applications into testbed systems. Testbeds built on AVL PUMA 2™ technology can utilize Testbed.CONNECT Embedded, an integrated real-time platform housed within the testbed automation system. For earlier PUMA generations or third-party automation systems, you can use the standalone versions of Testbed.CONNECT: Standalone and Standalone Plus. These platforms provide external simulation execution with standardized I/O interfaces such as CAN-FD, UDP, and EtherCAT.

Testbed.CONNECT uses MATLAB and Simulink for the modeling of powertrain and vehicle components and systems. With the toolbox, AVL fmi.LAB™, Simulink models are compiled to either Windows FMU, Linux FMU, or real-time INtime target (FMU and ARTMI). While supporting existing workflows, these additional targets are now available to create multi-target FMU archives. These FMU archives contain AVL-specific vendor annotations, which allow AVL tools like Puma, Testbed.CONNECT, Model.CONNECT, and CRUISE-M to natively support non-scalar parameters for FMI 2.0 targets and lookup table definitions for FMI 2.0 and FMI 3.0 targets.

Testbed.CONNECT includes a runtime environment for the execution of real-time models. A generic Model Parameter Editor (MPE) allows user-friendly management of the model parameters at runtime. Testbed.CONNECT Explorer is an extension to visualize internal processes in the executed models of real-time applications based on MATLAB and Simulink.

MATLAB and Simulink are used to create the simulation models leveraging standard Simulink blocks. During model development, MATLAB mat files can be generated to change model parameters at runtime. Simulink Coder™ from MathWorks builds the real-time application, which can then be executed on the different variants of Testbed.CONNECT.