ESI Pro-SiVIC lets engineers model how a sensor would perceive its surroundings and how its smart product would react to the gathered data. (Image courtesy of ESI Group.)
Pro-SiVIC helps engineers to virtually test the sensors and perception systems within ground and air vehicles. As a result, this software can be a good tool for those working on Internet of Things (IoT) products, connected cars, advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and driverless cars.
To test out these sensors, engineers build a simulated 3D scenario within Pro-SiVIC. This scenario will mimic real-life conditions the IoT product would face. Lighting, weather and road conditions can all be modified within the simulation.
The IoT system is then virtually released into the situation for testing and analysis. This process reduces the reliance of physical IoT prototypes. Additionally, Pro-SiVIC can improve the safety of testing products when both normal and critical-use cases can be tested.
As products become more complex, thanks in part to the IoT, it is possible that the ultimate performance and user experience of the product might be affected. This is where R&D products like Pro-SiVIC come into play. They allow engineers to ensure that products like driverless cars and ADAS will react when the going gets tough.
The recent release of Pro-SiVIC focuses on giving engineers sensor models for the automotive, marine and aeronautics sectors. Some of the sensor models available on Pro-SiVIC include:
- Cameras
- Radar
- LIDAR (laser scanners)
- Ultrasonic sensors
- GPS
- Odometers
- Communication devices
These sensor models are then added to the simulated 3D scenario. Simulations within the environmental catalog that can be used in the 3D scenario include:
- Urban roads
- Highway roads
- Country roads
- Various traffic signs
- Lane markings
Pro-SiVIC also has the ability to link to other products in ESI’s portfolio such as its computational electromagnetic simulation product, CEM One. This allows for more advanced radar sensor tests within Pro-SiVIC. For example, the link to CEM One allows for the assessment of the sensor’s function, performance, on-board processing and the characteristics of the antenna and radar targets.
“As their virtual prototypes integrate sensor behavior, industrial manufacturers become fully equipped to consider various design options that are not only based on multidomain product performance, but also on the product’s performance when in operation,” said Serge Laverdure, director of Virtual Systems and Controls at ESI Group. “They can now ensure product robustness and reliability thanks to the ability to investigate different failure modes early in the product development process.”
For more on IoT device testing, read: Top 3 Internet of Things Trends Behind the Scenes at CES.