Patent ID: 8660832

Claim:
A method for operating a test arrangement for a device to be tested having a hardware portion, wherein the device is one component of a system containing several components, wherein the components of the system are described by data records including elements that describe relationships of components with one another, wherein the data records describe signals exchangeable between the components, the method comprising: providing at least one computer unit including a memory operable to implement: linking the data records to generate a system description based on the linked data records, wherein at least one of the data records describes the device to be tested having the hardware portion; simulating the system by a simulation generated by a simulation device based on the system description, wherein an image of the device to be tested is captured in the simulation, the image simulating actual signal generations and use of the device to be tested, and removing the image of the device to be tested having the hardware portion from the simulation so that a gap arises in the simulation, which retains connections and relationships between the removed image of the device and the other components, providing one or more test interfaces in hardware for physical connection and communication between the simulation device and the device to be tested having the hardware portion, according to the retained connections and relationships between the removed image of the device and the other components within the simulation so that the removed image of the device is replaced by the actual device to be tested, and wherein the computer unit is further operable to implement the step of: generating, based on the data records, a driver for the device to be tested having a hardware portion to provide communication between the simulation device and the hardware portion of the device to be tested, according to which the device to be tested is activated via the one or more test interfaces.