Reading out and documenting vehicles during and at the end of a test day is extremely time consuming. An interface is plugged into the test carrier, the tester application is connected, and automatic or interactive tests are performed. The procedure is repeated – per vehicle and per readout time, for example before and after a test drive. The solution for efficient and scalable diagnostics even when working at home is Softing DTS.monaco in combination with the VCI VIN|ING 2000.

The flash programming of electronic control units (ECUs) in vehicles has now become widely accepted: There are anywhere between 3 and 120 ECUs depending on the market segment. These can usually be supplied with new software directly or via a gateway using a tester. This capability is used in a number of ways, although a vehicle interface currently has to be plugged in to mediate between the programming application and the ECUs. In the future, over-the-air updates will open up further possibilities.

Virtually identical user interfaces are required in test systems on a regular basis for new vehicles, new ECUs or even ECU variants – usually with only a few minor adjustments. Particularly, the high-end interfaces demanded by users today – in terms of the display, but also in terms of the operating concept – prove to be extremely time-consuming. The design templates in the after-sales tester Softing TDX help you work faster and ensure you gain top-quality results in a very short time.

After replacing or repairing vehicle components, the ECU and its peripherals must be adapted to each other again. In addition to only functional sequences, interaction with operating personnel to start individual process steps or enter parameters is often necessary. The advantages that OTX and the Softing OTX tools offer for a fast and robust realization of commissioning sequences are obvious.

The ISO standard on diagnostic communication “Diagnostics over Internet Protocol” – or DoIP for short, is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern vehicle architectures. This is not surprising as the advantages of this innovation are obvious. On the Internet, it is normal to transmit large amounts of data – in modern vehicles, data packages of several GBytes are no longer unusual. The trend towards remote diagnostics is also unstoppable, which is why the current edition of the ISO 13400 standard details the necessary data backup. The answer: DoIP with TLS.

Vehicle Communication Interfaces (VCIs) are the central component when it comes to tester systems accessing the electronic control units (ECUs) that perform a wide range of control and regulation tasks in modern vehicles, including diagnostic functionality. The answer to the increasingly complex tasks and requirements of diagnostics is the multipurpose VCI VIN|ING 2000.

In daily operation, ECUs in the vehicle are exposed to a wide range of environmental influences, such as vibrations, strongly fluctuating ambient temperatures and high humidity. The components must therefore be able to handle all conceivable faults. For the test, these faults are simulated on the ECU pin and the respective behavior and diagnostic entry documented. Typically, such fault simulations are used for function tests during development, for testing, release and validation of ECUs and components, as well as for integration validation during HiL testing or at the Functional Mock-Up (FMU).

With the xTCU telematics gateway from Globalmatix in combination with Memotec measurement technology – comprehensive information everywhere in real time. In racing, it is often just tiny details that make the difference between victory and defeat. In addition to the driver’s skill, it also depends on the racing team having the appropriate expertise. Among other things, data acquisition and measurement technology is installed in the vehicle in order to constantly monitor and ultimately optimize it.

It is a long journey from the start of engineering to the installation of all vehicle components and ECUs in the production vehicle. Comprehensive testing of the electronic components during the entire engineering process is essential. This is the only way to thoroughly safeguard and optimize hardware and software functions. Errors can be detected and remedied quickly – the earlier the better.

Due to current megatrends such as autonomous driving, significantly higher computing power is required in the vehicle than can be provided by today's ECUs. Consequently high-performance computers (HPCs) are being installed in the vehicle to implement both centralized control and diagnostic functions. Standardization of the interface is therefore an obvious step, and is currently being carried out in ASAM e.V. under the name SOVD (Service Oriented Vehicle Diagnostics).