Method for connecting an input/output interface of a testing device equipped for testing a control unit

A method for connecting an input/output interface of a testing device equipped for testing a control unit to a model of a technical system present in the testing device, the input/output interface adapted to connect the control unit to be tested or to connect a technical system to be controlled, and the model to be connected to the input/output interface is a model of the technical system to be controlled or a model of the control unit to be tested, the testing device further comprising a plurality of input/output functions connected to the model, the method comprising:

• (a) providing an interface hierarchy structure, which is a representation of at least a part of the input/output interface of the testing device, that has a plurality of hierarchy levels and is constructed from a first set of hierarchy elements, wherein the first set of hierarchy elements have a plurality of channels of the input/output interface that constitute the lowest hierarchy level of the interface hierarchy structure;
• (b) providing a function hierarchy structure, which is a representation of the plurality of input/output functions, that has a plurality of hierarchy levels and is constructed from a second set of hierarchy elements;
• (c) allowing a selection of an arbitrary first hierarchy element from an arbitrary first hierarchy structure, wherein the first hierarchy structure is either the interface hierarchy structure or the function hierarchy structure, and via which the other of the interface hierarchy structure and the function hierarchy structure is defined as the second hierarchy structure;
• (d) isolating a first sub-hierarchy structure based on the selection of the first hierarchy element, wherein the first sub-hierarchy structure comprises the first hierarchy element and the hierarchy elements located below the first hierarchy element;
• (e) allowing a selection of a second hierarchy element from the second hierarchy structure, wherein the selection of the second hierarchy element is not limited to a hierarchy level of the second hierarchy structure that corresponds to the hierarchy level of the first hierarchy element;
• (f) isolating a second sub-hierarchy structure based on the selection of the second hierarchy element, wherein the second sub-hierarchy structure comprises the second hierarchy element and the hierarchy elements located below the second hierarchy element;
• (g) determining compatible connections between hierarchy elements of the first sub-hierarchy structure and hierarchy elements of the second hierarchy structure or determining compatible connections between the hierarchy elements of the lowest hierarchy level of the first sub-hierarchy structure and the hierarchy elements of the lowest hierarchy level of the second sub-hierarchy structure;
• and
• (h) automatically configuring at least a part of the compatible connections so that the model present in the testing device communicates through at least the part of the compatible connections with the control unit to be tested or the technical system to be controlled.