AutoMoDe – A Transformation Based Approach for the Model-based Design of Embedded Automotive Software

International audienceThe AutoMoDe approach manages the complexity of embedded automotive systems by employing a stream-based development paradigm which is specifically tailored to embedded automotive real-time systems. In this paper the tailoring process is explained by transforming a traction control system from a stream-based model to an embedded real-time software model and afterwards integrating the software model on an embedded automotive rapid development hardware

Hybrid systems in automotive electronics design

Automotive electronic design is certainly one of the most attractive and promising application domains for hybrid system techniques. Some successful hybrid system applications to automotive model development and control algorithm design have already been reported in the literature. However, despite the significant advances achieved in the past few years, hybrid methods are in general still not mature enough for their effective introduction in the automotive industry design processes at large. In this paper, we take a broad view of the development process for embedded control systems in the automotive industry with the purpose of identifying challenges and additional opportunities for hybrid systems. We identify critical steps in the design flow and extract a number of open problems where hybrid system technology might play an important role

Test-driven development of embedded control systems: application in an automotive collision prevention system

With test-driven development (TDD) new code is not written until an automated test has failed, and duplications of functions, tests, or simply code fragments are always removed. TDD can lead to a better design and a higher quality of the developed system, but to date it has mainly been applied to the development of traditional software systems such as payroll applications. This thesis describes the novel application of TDD to the development of embedded control systems using an automotive safety system for preventing collisions as an example. The basic prerequisite for test-driven development is the availability of an automated testing framework as tests are executed very often. Such testing frameworks have been developed for nearly all programming languages, but not for the graphical, signal driven language Simulink. Simulink is commonly used in the automotive industry and can be considered as state-of-the-art for the design and development of embedded control systems in the automotive, aerospace and other industries. The thesis therefore introduces a novel automated testing framework for Simulink. This framework forms the basis for the test-driven development process by integrating the analysis, design and testing of embedded control systems into this process. The thesis then shows the application of TDD to a collision prevention system. The system architecture is derived from the requirements of the system and four software components are identified, which represent problems of particular areas for the realisation of control systems, i.e. logical combinations, experimental problems, mathematical algorithms, and control theory. For each of these problems, a concept to systematically derive test cases from the requirements is presented. Moreover two conventional approaches to design the controller are introduced and compared in terms of their stability and performance. The effectiveness of the collision prevention system is assessed in trials on a driving simulator. These trials show that the system leads to a significant reduction of the accident rate for rear-end collisions. In addition, experiments with prototype vehicles on test tracks and field tests are presented to verify the system’s functional requirements within a system testing approach. Finally, the new test-driven development process for embedded control systems is evaluated in comparison to traditional development processes

Understanding the formative stage of Technological Innovation System development. The case of natural gas as an automotive fuel

This study contributes to insights into mechanisms that influence the successes and failures of emerging energy technologies. It is assumed that for an emerging technology to fruitfully develop, it should be fostered by a Technological Innovation System (TIS), which is the network of actors, institutions and technologies in which it is embedded. For an emerging technology a TIS has yet to be built up. The research focuses on the dynamics of this build-up process by mapping the development of seven key activities: so-called system functions. The main contribution revolves around the notion of cumulative causation, or the phenomenon that the build-up of a TIS may accelerate due to system functions reinforcing each other over time. As an empirical basis, an analysis is provided of the historical development of the TIS around automotive natural gas technology in the Netherlands (1970-2007). The results show that this TIS undergoes a gradual build-up in the 1970s, followed by a breakdown in the 1980s and, again, a build-up from 2000-2007. It is shown that, underlying these trends, there are different forms of cumulative causation, here called motors of innovation. The study provides strategic insights for practitioners that aspire to support such motors of innovation.functions of technological innovation systems; cumulative causation; automotive natural gas.

Interoperability issues on the design of safe in-vehicle embedded systems

International audienceThe design of in-vehicle embedded systems follows a complex multi-partner development process. Carmakers specify the whole system and have to integrate several parts of the system provided by different suppliers. Specification as well as integration are concerned with properties requirements (safety, performance, cost, etc.) and validation issues. On another hand, the economical aspects lead suppliers to reuse previously developped components. At least, the portability of components is a necessary means that enable the flexibility of the development. For short, the problem when developping an automotive embedded system is the interoperability between components. To tackle this problem, two complementary solutions have been proposed by the automotive industry. The first one is the definition of a reference model for embedded systems that identifies component types and the formal rules of their interactions together. The other solution is a modeling language that can be shared by the different actors. In this paper, we show how automotive industry has contributed to these two aspects

Expert System in Helping Students Diagnose Car Engine Damage Using the Expert System Development Life Cycle (ESDLC) Method

At school, especially in Automotive Vocational High Schools, a learning process is carried out by helping students to recognize and overcome problems that occur in motorbike/car damage. One of the SMKs that has an Automotive expertise program is SMK Negeri 2 Bengkulu City. So far, the automotive learning system has used books and pictures to support the learning process at school. However, this sometimes has problems, where students do not fully understand the material given, and on the other hand students have difficulty learning independently either in the school environment or at home. Expert systems in helping students diagnose car engine damage using the Expert System Development Life Cycle (ESDLC) method can be accessed online with internet access via the web link http://riska.vad.my.id. This expert system application is made using the PHP programming language and MySQL database. This expert system application has been embedded with the ESDLC method with the Forward Chaining inference engine which is used to trace damage to car engines based on the symptoms experienced by the car engine. This expert system application can help facilitate the understanding of students at SMK Negeri 2 Bengkulu City in diagnosing car engine damage, by providing consultation directions starting from entering symptoms to getting consultation results. Based on the system testing that has been done, it can be concluded that the functionality of the application has been running well and this expert system can provide consultation results based on the symptoms selected by the user through the stages of the Expert System Development Life Cycle (ESDLC) method

Investigation on AUTOSAR-Compliant Solutions for Many-Core Architectures

As of today, AUTOSAR is the de facto standard in the automotive industry, providing a common software architec- ture and development process for automotive applications. While this standard is originally written for singlecore operated Elec- tronic Control Units (ECU), new guidelines and recommendations have been added recently to provide support for multicore archi- tectures. This update came as a response to the steady increase of the number and complexity of the software functions embedded in modern vehicles, which call for the computing power of multicore execution environments. In this paper, we enumerate and analyze the design options and the challenges of porting AUTOSAR-based automotive applications onto multicore platforms. In particular, we investigate those options when considering the emerging many- core architectures that provide a more scalable environment than the traditional multicore systems. Such platforms are suitable to enable massive parallel execution, and their design is more suitable for partitioning and isolating the software components.Euromicro Conference on Digital System Design (DSD 2015), Funchal, Portugal

FPGA based Embedded System to control an electric vehicle and the driver assistance systems

This Master Thesis involves the development of an embedded system based on FPGA for controlling an electric vehicle based on a Kart platform and its electronic driving aids. It consists of two distinct stages in the process of hardware-software co-design, hardware development, which includes all the elements of the periphery of the processor and communication elements, all developed in VHDL. An important part of the hardware development also include the development of electronic driving aids, which include traction control and torque vectoring differential gear, in hardware coprocessors, also writen in VHDL. The other part of the co-design is the development of the control software, which is going to be executed by the embedded system’s processor. This Master Thesis will be used in a range of new electric vehicles that will be built in a near future and also gives the base for future thesis in the fields of automotive, electronics and computing