The Mechatronics Lab ensures Daimler trucks and buses meet current and future safety standards using agile methodologies. These methods quickly identify and resolve software issues, improving the quality and effectiveness of testing processes.
Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) recently celebrated the inauguration of its new Mechatronics lab located within its Oragadam facility. This state-of-the-art lab is specifically designed to enhance the efficiency of software architecture verification and validation, offering cost efficiencies between 70-80% when compared to conventional methods. It also significantly reduces the timeframe required for testing and verification processes from months and weeks down to just a few days.
The purpose of the Mechatronics Lab is to ensure that the software functionalities of Daimler trucks and buses adhere to existing safety standards and are prepared for upcoming global safety regulations. By adopting agile methodologies, the lab facilitates the rapid detection and resolution of software issues using a closed-loop feedback system. This system greatly improves the overall effectiveness of the quality assurance and testing procedures.
Pradeep Kumar Thimmaiyan, President of Product Engineering and Chief Technology Officer at DICV, emphasized the critical importance of the new lab. He mentioned that the creation of the new Mechatronics Lab signifies a major shift in their Research and Development efforts, pushing them into a new era marked by increased agility and groundbreaking innovations. He described the lab as more than just a validation space; it’s a hub of innovation that distinctly positions them on the global stage and plays a vital role in their future projects concerning electrical and electronic architectures. The DICV Mechatronics Lab is fundamental to its long-term strategy, positioning it at the forefront of technological advances in the commercial vehicle sector and underscoring its commitment to developing and innovating within India for both local and global markets.
The lab showcases its abilities by having the capacity to verify and validate around 300 features and over a thousand signals in just ten days and can confirm 600 fault codes in a developing product within a few weeks. Dilip Shrivastava, Head of Mechatronics and Software Technology at DICV, elaborated on the lab’s significant impact. He explained that the lab’s capacity for rapid verification and validation of essential features and fault codes, which would traditionally have taken months, highlights their dedication to ensuring that their software architecture is thoroughly vetted before integration into their vehicles. This early detection of issues not only reduces significant developmental costs but also speeds up product development cycles. The establishment of this lab has streamlined the evaluation of diverse vehicle architectures, removed the need for multiple test vehicles, and boosted overall efficiency.
The lab’s infrastructure is equipped with a flashing station for the pre-production verification of all electronic control units (ECUs), ensuring compatibility between hardware and software before production to minimize errors and reduce the need for software revisions. The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) set up within the lab allows the reproduction of on-road data, assisting in initial software adjustments and reducing reliance on actual vehicles, thus saving both time and costs. Moreover, the lab supports the safe verification of Driver State Monitoring (DSM) systems, removing the risk associated with in-vehicle trials.
DICV’s research and development initiatives are set to gain substantially from the Mechatronics Lab, particularly in enhancing the efficiency, safety, and performance of its vehicles and in shortening the development timeline for new vehicle generations. The lab also enables the simulation and verification of unusual fault cases that are difficult to replicate under normal driving conditions, ensuring a thorough verification and validation process.
Over the past decade, DICV has established itself as a leader in safety and efficiency within the commercial vehicle industry. Known for its trucks, which lead the industry in total cost of ownership, DICV offers lower operational costs and higher productivity. The introduction of the new Mechatronics Lab is poised to continue this tradition of innovation by implementing advanced safety features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Blind Spot Assist, Driver Drowsiness Alert, and Lane Departure Warning.
