FAQs
LHP is short for “Left Hand Plane,” a reference to the stability of a control system based on Root Locus analysis of a closed loop continuous system. When plotting out the poles of a transfer function (mathematical characterization of a control system) when the poles are in the Left Hand side of the s-plane, you have a stable control system. As stability of a control system is important to the application of electronic embedded systems, LHP prides ourselves in being a stable partner to the clients we do business with and the effort we put into building quality into our customers' products.
LHP Software is a software engineering company that provides both customer site consulting (LHP Engineering Resources) and fully outsourced & project-managed custom software development (LHP Software Solutions).
LHP builds custom software that meets our customers’ needs. Our Embedded software resides on a computer that is inside the device it is controlling, thus building “intelligence” into the device (i.e. cars, phones, hospital beds, etc.). Our IT solutions include desktop & mobile solutions as well as enterprise applications. Sometimes these capabilities combine into a single solution (i.e. data from an engine’s computer is transmitted to a custom built web application).
It is clear that the world is becoming more and more electronically controlled and each year devices keep getting “smarter.” Our Embedded software can govern how any type of device works and our IT solutions can include applications for any type of business problem or process, but we historically have spent most of our time in the automotive and medical fields, making engines and medical devices work better and more efficiently.
We pride ourselves on having “small town values” and strive to make this a part of how we operate each day, whether we’re interacting with a customer, supplier, community group, or just each other. LHP is a fun company that values long-term partnerships, technical innovation, personal responsibility, uncommon achievement, and workplace diversity. We are serious about our work, but don’t take ourselves too seriously.
Because we don’t want a transaction, but instead want to be your long term, strategic software partner. Our customers value the LHP Approach, which includes taking the time to understand your needs, and then offering an unparalleled combination of price, flexibility, and quality.
LHP is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, and is a committed partner to the city in striving to make Columbus a better place to work and live. LHP gives directly to many charitable organizations each year, and we encourage our employees to become active participants in the community’s success. We believe that the company’s success and the community’s success are one and the same.
We understand that our customers are placing a significant amount of trust in us when we engage in a partnership, and we treat your intellectual property as if it is our own. We ensure that our employees are educated, work teams are kept separate, and data is secure & protected at all times.
Many companies want to send parts of their business operations offshore in order to realize cost savings, but then find cost increases due to inefficiencies. LHP’s exclusive Nearshore model allows for cost savings without the inefficiencies. We combine a U.S. based team with an offshore team to ensure the customer receives the expected cost savings, but doesn’t have to sacrifice efficiency or communication in the process.
LHP is unique in that we combine the technologies of web-based information systems with that of embedded technologies. Our extensive knowledge of embedded electronics, data links and web based technologies puts our company in a position to help our customers to design applications that retrieve data to be stored and viewed remotely through the web interface. One example of that is telematics remote diagnostic applications and track and trace monitoring systems for vehicles where data is retrieved from an automotive applications data bus and then sent back through either a satellite or cellular connection and then stored and displayed through a web-based information system.
Embedded software runs directly on a microcontroller designed and integrated into a specific hardware application, electronic or mechanical system. Embedded software is different from IT application software in that the CPU does not interact directly with computer hardware such as a monitor, keyboard, disc drives, printers, etc. although keypads and displays are commonly used.
Model based design is a methodology used to design embedded software based on graphical models typically applied to control systems. Simulation is a key part of model based design which allows errors in the system to be identified early in the design process before code is actually generated. This saves companies money and improves the overall quality of the software. Matlab Simulink is on one of the most popular platforms for implementing model based design. Model based design also includes a number of testing applications that can be used for software unit testing and component testing as well as test vector generation.
Auto code generation is an element of model based design that allows high level programming language like ‘C’ to be automatically generated from graphical models. One of the key benefits of auto coding is that the software can be generated much faster with higher quality and is directly traceable to the software design. One of the tradeoffs is that throughput can be effected as the auto generated software may not be as efficient as hand generated software although improvements in the efficiency of the auto generated software have continued to improve over the years.
Hardware-In the-Loop testing involves running test cases while replicating the electronic interface of the application to be controlled by using electronic test platforms such as dSpace, National Instruments or a home grown system to validate the software. For open loop testing these platforms provide a capability to perform functional testing by exercising the logic in the software while controlling electronic inputs through a graphical interface running on a PC. For close loop testing the platform uses a separate onboard computer to execute a plant model of the system real time to provide actual dynamic feedback to the application while the system is being tested. This allows full system testing and tuning to performed before actually getting on the real application. This can be very beneficial if developing high end large equipment such a cranes, jet engines or other industrial equipment. This type of testing can be automated and costs much less to perform and is much safer than testing performed on vehicle or in a test cell.
LHP has been working with companies that are developing alternative energy and clean enginery such as emission controls applications for diesel engines as well as hybrid control systems (battery based) and electric plug in vehicles. LHP is also looking into new technologies associated with wind energy and clean up of emissions from industrial plants.
