Spirent, the leading provider of navigation and positioning test solutions, have developed SimAUTO as a ready-to-use solution to testing integrated in-vehicle navigation systems (IVNS) comprising GPS and dead reckoning (DR) sensors.
The demand for fast signal acquisition, accuracy and functionality through GPS blackouts is motivating the development of hybrid systems using DR sensors. In order to test these, DR and GPS signals must be coherently generated. SimAUTO effectively emulates DR sensors such as compasses, gyros, and wheel pulses and precisely coordinated these with Spirent’s range of GPS/GNSS constellations simulators - providing a complete test environment for integrated navigation systems. The coherent GPS and DR sensor emulation means SimAUTO facilitates rapid and comprehensive system testing, accelerating time to market while improving demonstrated system resilience to real-life challenges.
SimAUTO is also fully compatible with Spirent’s SimGEN for Windows® software suite allowing parameters such as wheel track, wheel base, wheel diameter, odometer pulse rate and dead band to be set and saved to a vehicle personality file for future use. Field trials can be captured as motion files meaning identical journeys can be reproduced many times without deploying people back into the field.
Spirent’s SimAUTO provides users with a number of significant benefits making SimAUTO a flexible, accurate and comprehensive in-vehicle navigation system software. These include:
Time saving and flexibility
- Coherent GPS and DR sensor emulation facilitates rapid and comprehensive system testing, accelerating time to market
- A conversion utility allows NMEA data logged during field trials to be captured as a motion file. An identical journey can thus be reproduced as many times as required without leaving the lab
- Fully integrated with Spirent’s SimGEN for windows® software suite, SimAUTO allows parameters such as wheel track, wheel base, wheel diameter, odometer pulse rate & dead band to be set and saved to a vehicle personality file for future use
- Single-axis turntable drive is provided to allow the direct stimulation of heading or leading rate sensors if this is appropriate or preferred
Comprehensive and accurate testing
- Coherent GPS and DR sensor emulation facilitates rapid and comprehensive system testing improving demonstrated system resilience to real-life challenges such as multipath interference and signal obscuration
- Vehicle trajectory can be generated using SimGEN, delivered from an external source or from a file using Spirent’s SimREMOTE mode of operation
Spirent’s SimAUTO encompasses a wide range of user focused features which put SimAUTO at the forefront of in-vehicle navigation testing software:
- Simultaneous emulation of multiple DR sensors consistent with GPS satellite RF
- Heading and wheel count sensor outputs
- Single-axis rate table drive for stimulation of heading sensors
- User-defined vehicle geometry
- Real-time scenario editing
- Remote operation driven from file (logged data) or vehicle simulator
- Data streaming output allows modelled vehicle motion to be shared with other applications
- CAN messages consistent with modelled sensors available to your CAN specification
