ECU Peripheral Resource Scheduling for Integrated Function Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the integration of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) in vehicles, the sharing of peripheral resources creates conflicts during verification, making it difficult for individual ECU functions to be validated in their integrated state, as the peripheral resource is occupied, preventing simultaneous verification by different Tier1 companies.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a control mechanism that allocates a use prohibition period for the peripheral resource based on a budget value, allowing each ECU function to use the resource in a time-division manner, ensuring that the peripheral resource is available only within a defined band during single ECU function verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If peripheral resources are shared by multiple ECU functions in an integrated ECU, then resource utilization efficiency is improved, but verification of individual ECU functions becomes difficult because the peripheral resource is occupied by other functions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of peripheral resource allocation by switching between integrated mode (for efficiency) and verification mode (for individual function testing). The control mechanism dynamically adjusts resource accessibility based on operational context, allowing Tier1 companies to verify their ECU functions even when the ECU is integrated, thereby resolving the contradiction between resource sharing and verification capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a control mechanism as an intermediary between multiple ECU functions and the shared peripheral resource. This intermediary manages resource allocation, controls access permissions, and coordinates usage timing, enabling both efficient resource sharing and individual function verification by mediating between competing demands
2Productivity
If multiple Tier1 companies verify their respective ECU functions simultaneously in an integrated ECU, then verification efficiency is improved, but resource conflicts occur because the peripheral resource cannot be occupied by multiple functions at the same time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic time-division multiplexing where the peripheral resource is allocated to different Tier1 companies in scheduled time slots. Each company receives guaranteed access periods for verification, eliminating simultaneous access conflicts while maintaining high overall verification throughput. The control mechanism enforces these periodic allocation patterns to ensure reliable resource sharing
3Productivity
If the peripheral resource is always available for use, then ECU function performance is improved, but other ECU functions cannot use the resource when needed
Solution Approach 1:
The control mechanism dynamically adjusts peripheral resource availability based on real-time system state and priority requirements. When one ECU function requires the resource, the control mechanism temporarily restricts access to other functions, ensuring reliable resource allocation. This dynamic control maintains high performance for active functions while preserving resource sharing capability across the system
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes an operation resource which performs a plurality of ECU functions, a peripheral resource which is shared by the plurality of ECU functions and a control mechanism which controls a period in which one of the ECU functions uses the peripheral resource. The control mechanism calculates, based on a budget value which is given in advance and is a performance allocation, a use prohibition period in which the one of the ECU functions is prohibited from using the peripheral resource within the predetermined unit time.