Virtual Bus for Dynamic ECU Subset Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle software testing requires direct access to all electronic control units (ECUs) via a CAN bus, leading to inefficient message exchange and physical connectivity limitations, as only a subset of ECUs typically need to communicate during testing.
Innovation Solution
A virtual bus system that dynamically configures a subset of ECUs for software testing, allowing message exchange between only the necessary ECUs through a publish-subscribe architecture, enabling remote testing and overcoming physical connectivity constraints by converting CAN frames into Ethernet messages for transmission over the Internet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If direct access to all ECUs via CAN bus is used for software testing, then complete system coverage is achieved, but testing complexity and physical connectivity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the ECU network into multiple virtual buses, allowing testers to select and activate only the specific virtual bus containing relevant ECUs for the current test. This segmentation divides the large-scale testing problem into smaller, manageable subsets, reducing complexity while maintaining comprehensive testing capability across different test scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual bus acts as an intermediary layer between the tester and the physical ECU network. Instead of directly connecting to all ECUs, the tester interacts with the virtual bus which then routes communications to the appropriate ECUs. This intermediary abstracts the complexity of physical connectivity and enables flexible, dynamic configuration of test participants.
2Ease of operation
If all ECUs are connected via physical CAN bus, then direct communication is enabled, but physical connectivity limitations and message exchange inefficiency occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual copies of the CAN bus as software-based virtual buses that replicate the communication protocols and message formats of the physical bus. These virtual buses enable message exchange between ECUs without requiring direct physical connections, as messages are routed through the virtual bus infrastructure which emulates the behavior of the physical CAN bus.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-dimensional physical CAN bus architecture to a multi-dimensional virtual bus architecture. Multiple virtual buses can operate simultaneously in the software domain, allowing parallel message exchanges and flexible routing that is not constrained by the physical topology of the original CAN bus.
3Adaptability or versatility
If remote testing is implemented, then physical connectivity constraints are overcome, but network transmission overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and isolates only the necessary ECUs and their interconnections into a specific virtual bus for each test scenario. By taking out only the relevant subset of the ECU network rather than involving all ECUs, the system reduces the amount of data transmission required over the network, thereby reducing network overhead and improving testing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An example operation includes one or more of establishing a network connection between a plurality of ECUs via a bus, receiving a request to perform a software test, dynamically configuring a subset of ECUs among the plurality of ECUs for executing the software test via the bus, and executing the software test via the dynamically configured subset of ECUs, wherein the executing comprises exchanging messages between only the subset of ECUs rather than the plurality of ECUs based on the dynamic configuration.