ECU Interface Base Package
External and on-target bypassing
The ECU Interface Base Package provides real-time access to production ECUs during RCP, HIL, and field test.
- Provides real-time access to production ECUs during RCP, HIL, and field test
- Allows efficient function bypassing directly on existing ECUs or together with separate RCP hardware
- Allows to prepare ECU interfacing on the basis of source code or binary code with the optional Binary Code Management module
Application Areas
For rapid control prototyping (RCP), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), function-in-the-loop (FIL), vehicle-in-the loop (VIL), and ECU (electronic control unit) field tests, real-time access to ECUs is crucial. For a guaranteed real-time access, the existing ECU code has to be prepared to allow additional functionalities to be mapped to it. These functionalities can be executed by using external real-time hardware or even directly on the original ECU (on-target). When developing new ECU software functionalities, an incremental development based on existing ECU hardware and software is common. The dSPACE tool chain for ECU interfacing allows new functionalities to be mapped into the existing ECU by using the external or the on-target bypassing approach. When testing a production ECU with a HIL system, internal states of the ECU can be captured synchronously to become part of the running real-time test. Furthermore, very complex, unavailable, or unaccessible sensors can be simulated. Even partial or complete ECU software tests (FIL in the laboratory and VIL in the vehicle) are possible by directly connecting a plant or environment simulation that runs on real-time hardware to the ECU without the need to connect the full I/O. During a field test, the functionality of an ECU is tested in a real environment. In case an error is detected in the ECU software (e.g., incorrect internal variable value), it is possible to quickly fix it by using on-target bypassing. Afterwards, the test-drive can continue. To cover all these scenarios, dSPACE provides a comprehensive ECU interface software tool chain which is based on the ECU Interface Base Package.
Key Benefits
The dSPACE ECU Interface Software allows for interfacing to existing ECUs without knowledge of the original implementation details. It differentiates between preparing the ECU software for ECU interfacing and implementing new functionality as well as external and on-target bypassing. The ECU Interface Base Package, which contains the ECU Interface Manager for software preparation and the RTI Bypass Blockset for function implementation, enables the access to ECUs that have been already prepared for ECU interfacing with external dSPACE hardware. An optional Binary Code Management Module lets you prepare the binary code of a microcontroller for ECU interfacing. The optional On-Target Module together with the target compiler enables the RTI Bypass Blockset to build an application of a new model-based function for the microcontroller. Therefore, it merges the new function code with existing ECU code to run completely on the target ECU, without extra hardware. For optimization, it allows you to use fragmented memory areas and even free up space by overwriting unused functions. This way, you can use the limited ECU resources more efficiently. To increase efficiency even further or if there is a strong focus on production, you can use the certified production code generator TargetLink.
| Module | Description |
|---|---|
| ECU Interface Base Package |
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| Binary Code Management Module (target-specific) |
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| On-Target Module (target-specific) |
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| Compiler (target-specific) |
Depending on the microcontroller, one of the following C compilers is required:
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