Evaluation and tuning of brake systems – from simulation to the test bench
MXbrakeHiL: A Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Environment for Brake System Development and ESC Validation
MXbrakeHiL is a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) test system that integrates a complete physical brake assembly—from the brake pedal through to the brake calipers—directly into a real-time vehicle simulation environment. This enables the testing, evaluation, and tuning of ESC ECUs and safety-critical braking functions before a vehicle prototype is available. And it reduces simulation complexity and supports systematic validation at each stage of the V-model.
Electric and automated vehicles require precise development of braking functions and vehicle dynamics controllers. Pure simulation models have limitations in replicating the hydraulic nonlinearities, friction, and valve dynamics present in physical brake systems. MXbrakeHiL addresses this by substituting real hardware into the control loop, removing the need to model those physical effects mathematically.
Hardware-Coupled Testing: Physical Response, Repeatable Conditions, Objective Evaluation
Physical Fidelity Through Unmodified Hardware Components: Unmodified hardware components reproduce authentic pressure build-up rates, dynamic hysteresis, and ABS modulation profiles — behavior that parametric simulation models cannot reliably replicate.
Repeatable Scenario Testing: Road surface conditions, vehicle speeds, and environmental factors are defined in the simulation model and varied systematically to validate functions including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and ESC, with consistent initial conditions across every run.
Open Architecture for Parameter Optimization: The test bench supports complex parameter sweeps and calibration variant evaluations. Full observability of the hardware chain and integration with MXeval allow engineers to evaluate criteria such as stability, brake blending logic, and hardware interaction in a single test cycle.