The dSPACE tool chain for bypassing and ECU interfacing, consisting of the RTI Bypass Blockset and the ECU Interface Manager, can be used for applications in rapid control prototyping as well as for white-box testing of existing ECU software.
ECU interfacing for rapid control prototyping and intrusive testing of existing ECU software.
Application Areas.
When only some parts of an existing ECU software need to be optimized or enhanced, bypassing is a powerful and proven method for rapid control prototyping. It can be employed when no Simulink® models of the original control algorithms are available, or when there is no access to the source code of ECU software. MATLAB®/Simulink models can be used to bypass and, as a consequence, replace original ECU functions.
The dSPACE tool chain for bypassing and ECU interfacing also makes test case development considerably easier. You can use the tool chain to apply test stimuli in real time that are triggered by ECU-internal events. In addition, ECU-internal memory can be read and written in real time. ECU functions can be stimulated with specific, reproducible test data, which makes it easier to cover test cases with a complex setup. External sensors or actuators in the ECU that are difficult to stimulate or hard to access externally can be bypassed in order to directly stimulate the ECU functions under test. Thus, the test coverage of ECU software can be enhanced considerably.
Benefits.
As the RTI Bypass Blockset hides ECU-specific information on the bypass interface, control and test engineers can completely concentrate on function design and test case development. Based on the ECU description file (A2L file), users can flexibly select model inputs and outputs as well as triggers without modifying the ECU software.
A variety of ECU interfaces are supported, such as CCP, XCP on CAN, XCP on Ethernet, XCP on FlexRay, and dedicated ECU interfaces such as dSPACE DCI-GSIs, or DPMEM PODs. If you use the dSPACE bypassing services, dedicated mechanisms ensure data consistency and safe operation.
The RTI Bypass Blockset is part of a complete tool chain for service-based bypassing that supports different bypass methods and different platforms for model execution:
- External bypassing on dedicated RCP systems;
- Internal bypassing directly on the target ECU;
- Virtual bypassing of virtual ECUs in a PC-based simulation or on MicroAutoBox II without using a physical target ECU at all.
The RTI Bypass Blockset supports all bypass methods and all ECU interfaces with the same intuitive look and feel. It is easy to switch between the different bypass methods and platforms, because no changes to the Simulink model are required. The blockset allows developers to reuse legacy functions, only available as C source code, in their Simulink models. Furthermore, a powerful automation API facilitates the integration of the RTI Bypass Blockset into customer-specific development tool chains.