REAL AUTOMOTIVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER INTEGRATION INTO VEHICLE SIMULATORS USING CAN-BUS PROTOCOL

Abstract

The growing pursuit of realism in automotive simulators has motivated the integration of physical components into virtual systems, aiming to provide a more immersive user experience. In this context, the present work proposes the use of real instrument clusters connected to digital simulators as a solution to enhance the visual and functional fidelity of the simulation. ​To achieve this, the open-source software SimHub is employed. SimHub is responsible for collecting the telemetry data generated by the racing games, converting it, and transmitting it to a microcontroller. This device interprets the data and sends it to the physical dashboard via the CAN-Bus (Controller Area Network bus) protocol, which is widely used in communication between automotive electronic modules. ​As a result, the dashboard responds dynamically to the received information, displaying data such as engine revolutions per minute (RPM), speed, temperature, fuel level, gear indicators, turn signals, and traction control, through pointers and displays. ​It is concluded that the proposed integration is technically viable and contributes significantly to increasing immersion and realism in automotive simulation environments.