Web-Based Simulation Environment for Vehicular Electrical Networks

For the validation of vehicular Electrical Distribution Systems (EDS), engineers are currently required to analyze disperse information regarding technical requirements, standards and datasheets. Moreover, an enormous effort takes place to elaborate testing plans that are representative for most EDS possible configurations. These experiments are followed by laborious data analysis. To diminish this workload and the need for physical resources, this work reports a simulation platform that centralizes the tasks for testing different EDS configurations and assists the early detection of inadequacies in the design process. A specific procedure is provided to develop a software tool intended for this aim. Moreover, the described functionalities are exemplified considering as a case study the main wire harness from a commercial vehicle. A web-based architecture has been employed in alignment with the ongoing software development revolution and thus provides flexibility for both, developers and users. Due to its scalability, the proposed software scheme can be extended to other web-based simulation applications. Furthermore, the automatic generation of electrical layouts for EDS is addressed to favor an intuitive understanding of the network. To favor human–information interaction, utilized visual analytics strategies are also discussed. Finally, full simulation workflows are exposed to provide further insights on the deployment of this type of computer platforms.