Automotive engineering is one of the core competencies of our range of services. For both OEMs and suppliers, we are active along the entire value chain, from the conceptual idea to the finished product. This is especially true in the bodywork, interior, chassis and drives fields.
During hardware development, we support our customers with the following range of services:
- Overall project planning and coordination
- Creation and analysis of functional specifications and requirement specification sheets
- Hardware development in the field of analogue and digital circuit technology using CAE tools for control units
- Designing circuit concepts and designs using different circuit board technologies for circuit development and calculation
- Qualification and development of simulators for control units
- Supervision and coordination of hardware prototypes, as well as hardware trials and tests using suitable procedures and their documentation
- EMC measurement and subsequent optimisation
- Integration of individual components and modules into the overall system
- Documentation of the entire project execution using word processing and CASE tools
- Coordination of different departments such as production and quality planning, purchasing, software development and logistics
During software development, we support our customers with the following range of services:
- Overall project planning and coordination
- Analysis and specification of the software required
- Creation and analysis of functional specifications and requirement specification sheets
- Development and implementation of system and functional software
- Implementation of tests and measurements using modern simulation tools, as well as their documentation and subsequent verification of the existing software
- Automation of tests to be performed
- Integration of individual software components or modules into the overall system
- Documenting the entire project execution, from development to acceptance
- Coordinating different departments such as production and quality planning, purchasing, hardware development and logistics
Concrete case studies from automotive engineering:
- Hardware development in the hybrid drives sector - power electronics for controlling energy flows in hybrid and electric vehicles: Fuse and tolerance calculations of circuit modules (analogue, digital, power electronics), measurement and verification, commissioning in HV laboratory, processing project-related FMEA points, documentation in DOORs, adaptation of circuit modules
- Hardware development for battery management systems used for controlling lithium-ion cells: Performing validation and verification measurements, troubleshooting and analysis of the battery pack, developing a switch box for test automation
- Software development for DCU control units: Developing the overall interface microcontroller software for several variants of a DCU control unit with integrated inertial sensors, testing and verification of the software in the overall system context
- Trials and testing of synchronous motors for steering systems: Setting up and preparing the tests in accordance with customer specifications and products, adapting and programming the measurement equipment, checking the execution of the tests, analysis and data processing, analysing acoustic data and measurements, evaluating and writing technical reports, testing and approval of prototypes before customer delivery, data processing, writing reports
- Advanced development of longitudinal dynamics of hybrid vehicles: Function development, brake recuperation operating strategy, controlling an electrical add-on vacuum pump, communication/interface definition, stability monitoring, specification for suppliers, support for the test vehicles and their design and equipping programs, monitoring part procurement and installation, coordination of conversions (ECU, HCU, Brake unit, pedal system, etc.), testing and evaluating the respective software versions, creating a test catalogue for validation, applying the functions in the test vehicles, commissioning the concept system prototypes, commissioning the developed SW versions, validation using the test catalogue created, documentation and final presentation
- Project planning and implementation of the modification to the SMART body controller for the innovative car sharing system car2go: Clarification of the project requirement, preparation of a requirement specification, clarification of the change with the supplier, commissioning the change, preparing test cases for ECU tests as per requirement specification, component test in laboratory and vehicle, preparing test documentation, performing error analyses for acute vehicle problems, performing required vehicle software updates, performing release tests on the software and documentation