In order to achieve a consistent and early protection of electronic components even before real hardware or electronic control devices are available, the use of purely software-based protection methods such as software-in-the-loop (SiL) is recommended in all modern function development Projects.

Validation in the early development phase. The earlier critical errors are found in complex software systems, the easier and more cost-effective it can be to correct errors. This is one of the main reasons why early validation of the implemented software functions is always recommended. The software quality can also be significantly increased in this way in early development phases. Quality-enhancing measures can therefore be initiated many months to years before the corresponding hardware is available in order to minimize both the warranty risk and the corresponding cost-intensive iteration loops at an early stage. Structured and targeted software-in-the-loop tests thus significantly supplement the classic test on the HiL test bench. However, it is important to integrate this test methodology into the underlying development process at an early stage.

Software-in-the-Loop Test Methodology. Due to the ever increasing complexity of the software functions, traditional methods of electronics protection are increasingly accompanied by additional protection activities such as SiL tests. Only the algorithms and the underlying software functions are considered. The implemented functions are checked for correctness exclusively on the basis of the available source code. The test depth can be selected as required from random tests of the input parameters to complete instruction coverage, branch coverage, path coverage or condition coverage.

Professional Software-in-the-Loop Test Automation. Our test automation experts with many years of experience will be happy to advise you at any time regarding a project-specific analysis of your SiL requirements and provide you with professional support in the specification, implementation and implementation of the corresponding software-in-the-loop test scope of your protection projects.