The collaboration is expected to enable vehicle manufacturers and suppliers to achieve higher levels of virtual validation across chassis, powertrain and braking systems.
IAAPS, a specialist in vehicle propulsion research, will become Ansible Motion’s first UK service partner. As part of this partnership, Ansible Motion has installed a Theta Seat DIL simulator at the IAAPS facility. This simulator will be integrated with IAAPS’s mechanical hardware-in-the-loop (mHIL) powertrain dynamometer, and labelled “mHIL + DIL integration.” This integration aims to enhance IAAPS’s ability to conduct high-fidelity, real-world vehicle research and development in a laboratory setting.
The initial focus of this cooperation will be on integrating specific DIL and mHIL systems with IAAPS’s existing experimental facilities. IAAPS says it will use the DIL simulator to advance its own test protocols and provide access to the simulator for Tier 1 suppliers, smaller OEMs, academic institutions and motorsport teams.
As a second reference location alongside Ansible Motion’s R&D facility in Hethel in the UK county of Norfolk, IAAPS to will enable customers to benefit from ad-hoc access to its DIL simulation technology.
Professor Rob Oliver, managing director of IAAPS, said, “This partnership with Ansible Motion represents a significant advancement in our capabilities. By integrating its state-of-the-art DIL technology with our extensive R&D infrastructure, we are set to provide new capabilities for our partners, accelerating the introduction of new technologies to the market.”
Initial projects driven by this partnership are already underway. The first project aims to develop validation methods in the virtual world for mHIL applications through trusted DIL simulation, reducing development time and cost. Examples include the validation of brake-by-wire (BbW), adaptive suspension, steer-by-wire (SbW) and cockpit architectures for user experience (UX) such as infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
Dan Clark, managing director of Ansible Motion, said, “The increasing complexity and significant rise in interfaces between vehicle architectures and components require new validation tools and techniques that support the cost and time targets all OEMs need to remain competitive while finding ways to differentiate and still delight the end user. Our partnership will also unlock more sustainable ways to validate mechanical hardware that traditionally would have required expensive track time and significant resource consumption.”