Virtual Instrument Cluster for enhancing the configurability of an automotive simulator

Automotive simulators are an important tool when developing and validating new vehicle functions and devices. Thereby, configurability is an essential requirement for simulators that are used in the field of research. The growing number of new systems makes it imperative to reduce their time to market to a minimum. Furthermore, full digital instrument clusters are becoming more common inside consumer vehicles today. They erase the traditional limitations of analog dashboards and enable the design of intuitive and efficient solutions, for instance, by integrating various onboard devices in one central human–machine interface (HMI). Naturally, this generates new challenges in the human-in-the-loop model of validation. Driven by these demands, a new architecture is proposed that allows a complete (but easy) reconfiguration of a driving simulator, in particular, at the front end (the HMI). The core element is a Virtual Instrument Cluster consisting of a personal computer and a high-resolution thin film transistor (TFT) screen. Focusing on the interaction between the driver and the simulator, the objective is to facilitate the integration of new systems and designs into a realistic environment. To show the potential of the Virtual Instrument Cluster, this paper presents three practical examples to demonstrate the capability, usability, validity and adaptivity to new systems.