Master PSE
Digital Vehicle Twin
In the Digital Vehicle Twin module, students work in teams under practical conditions to develop a modular software platform to map the vehicle topology as a digital twin.
The project work is based on real issues from the field of vehicle and software architectures and promotes independent and structured teamwork.
The lecturer assumes the role of the client or technical contact person. He or she continuously accompanies the project, supports conceptual and technical decisions, especially in the initial phase, and ensures that the project is implemented in a targeted manner.
The project process is organised as follows:
- Introductory event to present the task and the organisational framework conditions
- Regular project meetings to present the progress of the work
- Joint definition of goals for the upcoming development phases
The module focuses on the development of a digital vehicle twin that maps the topology of a vehicle at the software level. The aim is to design and implement a modular and expandable software platform that can be used to model real vehicle architectures in a structured manner.
The focus is particularly on:
- Electronic control units (ECUs) and their functional roles
- Communication buses and network topologies
- Relationships and dependencies between components
The digital vehicle twin serves as the basis for further analysis, simulation and evaluation tasks. By virtually replicating the vehicle topology, systemic relationships, dependencies and potential weak points can be identified and investigated at an early stage. The topic thus addresses key challenges of modern, highly networked and software-defined vehicle systems.
tasks
The Digital Vehicle Twin is implemented using the Python programming language (https://www.python.org), which serves as the central development platform due to its modularity, extensibility and broad library support. Qt for Python (https://wiki.qt.io/Qt_for_Python) is used for the graphical user interface to create an interactive and modular user interface.
The user interface is conceptually based on Orange Data Mining (https://orangedatamining.com) and follows a widget-based approach:
- Functional modules are implemented as independent widgets
- Widgets can be visually arranged and configured
- Dependencies and data flows between modules are displayed transparently
Scapy (https://scapy.net) and can-utils (https://github.com/linux-can/can-utils) are used for the analysis and processing of vehicle communication:
- Scapy for generating, manipulating and analysing network and CAN messages
- can-utils for connecting to real CAN buses and for playing and recording CAN logs
By combining these tools, the digital vehicle twin can be operated and evaluated using both simulated and realistic vehicle data.
prior knowledge
Basic programming skills, particularly in Python (https://www.python.org), are required for successful participation in the module. Experience with object-oriented programming and modular software development is advantageous.
Recommended prior knowledge includes:
- Fundamentals of software architecture
- Basic knowledge of graphical user interfaces
- Basic understanding of computer networks
- Knowledge of the CAN bus system
Experience with Linux-based development environments and network protocols facilitates the use of Scapy (https://scapy.net) and can-utils (https://github.com/linux-can/can-utils), but is not essential and can be acquired during the project.
framework conditions
Scrum is used as the process model for agile system development. Established development tools are used, preferably those that are already available in the faculty.
These include, among others:
- Version management using Git
- A Scrum board for task and sprint management
- Joint documentation of results
The project builds on preliminary work from previous semesters and is designed in such a way that it can be continued in future courses. The source code developed is licensed under the MIT licence (https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT).
If you have any further questions about the project, please do not hesitate to contact us by email.
