HiL Test Automation of Safety-Critical Features

Driving Development and Deployment of Automated Testing Frameworks for Safety Critical ECU Functionalities

With the automotive industry rapidly transitioning toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs), the role of hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) testing has become increasingly critical. As vehicles rely more on complex software running on powerful processors, ensuring robust interaction between hardware and software is vital, particularly for safety-critical systems like ADAS and automated driving. My experience in HiL test automation, combined with my hands-on work with application-level software, hardware-software interfaces, and hardware abstraction layers, provides me with a holistic understanding of the challenges and solutions required to achieve reliable and scalable systems.

By driving the development and deployment of HiL test frameworks, I have ensured robust verification and validation of hardware-software interactions, addressing not just the functional correctness of ADAS features but also the broader reliability of embedded systems in software-driven architectures.

Key Contributions

  • Ensuring Robust Hardware-Software Interaction

    • Developed and automated HiL test cases for the AUTOSAR hardware abstraction layer (IoHwAb), where hardware signals are processed and relayed to higher application layers through the RTE.

    • Validated critical safety functions such as LimpHome mode to ensure the ECU can safely handle fault conditions by effectively managing hardware-software dependencies.

    • Focused on testing ADAS-specific features, such as blind spot detection signals and lane-change assist indicators, ensuring correct processing of hardware inputs to meet application-level demands.

  • Holistic Approach to Hardware-Software Validation

    • Collaborated across disciplines to integrate functional requirements, technical specifications, and safety-critical goals into the HiL automation pipeline.

    • Worked extensively at multiple system levels:

      • Application Layer: Ensured end-to-end validation of ADAS use cases like signal processing and actuation.

      • Hardware Abstraction Layer: Tested APIs for hardware input/output enabling, disabling, and value retrieval, bridging the gap between software applications and hardware interfaces.

      • Hardware-Software Interface: Partnered with hardware engineers to simulate real-world inputs, outputs, and faults in HiL environments, enabling comprehensive validation of embedded systems.

  • Scalable and Continuous Validation Frameworks

    • Delivered modular and scalable HiL test frameworks integrated into CI/CD pipelines via Jenkins, allowing remote and continuous validation of safety-critical systems.

    • Designed the framework to support diverse ECU variants, ensuring adaptability to evolving hardware and software architectures in SDVs.

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration

    • Partnered with hardware, software, DevOps, and systems engineering teams to align test automation goals with development requirements.

    • Played a key role in verifying the traceability of Functional Safety Requirements (FSRs), Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs), and Software Safety Requirements (SSRs) into actionable test cases, ensuring ISO 26262 compliance.

Relevance to Software-Defined Vehicles

With SDVs increasingly leveraging centralized computing platforms and reducing hardware dependencies, robust verification and validation of hardware-software interactions remain crucial.

  • Complex Software, Critical Hardware Dependencies
    While SDVs reduce the number of discrete hardware components, processors handling vast data volumes for ADAS and automated driving features still rely on hardware interfaces for inputs and outputs. My work ensures these interfaces are validated to handle complex workloads reliably.

  • Holistic Understanding Across System Layers
    My experience working across application layers, hardware abstraction layers, and hardware-software interfaces equips me with the ability to identify potential integration challenges and address them proactively. This comprehensive perspective allows me to contribute to the end-to-end development of robust and reliable systems.

  • Scalable Testing Solutions for SDVs
    The frameworks I developed demonstrate scalability, adaptability, and efficiency, aligning with the demands of SDVs that require continuous testing and validation to keep pace with iterative software updates.

Value Proposition

This experience positions me to deliver significant value in roles requiring expertise in embedded systems, safety-critical validation, and software-defined vehicle architectures:

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: My ability to align hardware, software, and systems teams fosters efficient development cycles and ensures robust solutions.

  • End-to-End System Insight: Working across different system layers has provided me with a holistic understanding of hardware-software interactions, making me a stronger candidate for tackling complex challenges in embedded systems and SDVs.

  • Focus on Safety and Scalability: By ensuring compliance with ISO 26262 and delivering scalable validation frameworks, I’ve demonstrated my ability to meet safety-critical demands while preparing for future growth.

Future Vision

My work in HiL test automation and validation provides a strong foundation to contribute to the next generation of software-defined vehicles, ADAS, and automated driving systems. As SDVs continue to evolve, my understanding of hardware-software dependencies, safety-critical requirements, and scalable testing solutions will enable me to play a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability and safety of increasingly complex automotive systems.