Automotive Software Research Group

Fraunhofer Institute for Communication Systems ESK

The fundamental challenge in developing automotive software is to ensure quality, efficiency and safety in an increasingly complex environment. Dealing effectively with the future demands of automotive software development requires taking the new methods developed through research and putting them into practice in industry. The Automotive Software research group addresses this issue by creating open toolchains and platforms for the model-based design and analysis of distributed automotive software.

Model-based design methods and analysis

To guarantee automotive software quality, developers must ensure that even non-functional requirements, such as response time behavior, are adhered to on the target platform. The utilization of model-driven simulation and analysis technologies such as virtual integration and executable models enables the validation of automobile software functionality during the early stages of the design process. The creation and automated testing of modeling guidelines allows a high level of model quality to be maintained during the design process. Methods are also being examined to support the early-stage validation of specifications using model-based approaches like model-in-the-loop. They range from the modeling of individual systems to comprehensive systems-of-systems such as intelligent transportation systems. For this purpose the Fraunhofer ESK researchers use the institute's own DynaSim framework for simulating and analyzing both complex and adaptive automotive systems. One of the main areas of focus is the development of model-based processes and methods to support the increasingly adaptive behavior of the electronic control unit (ECU) network.

Software architectures and tools

As software-based automotive applications become more complex and networked together, the associated distributed software platforms and tool platforms are becoming increasingly important.

With this in mind, the Fraunhofer ESK researchers utilize various languages for the architecture and domain-specific description when creating the models. They also draw on in-house developed, open-source and commercial frameworks for the development-phase validation, from modeling to series code generation and testing. The Automotive Software research group develops complete tool platforms or enhances existing tools by integrating new ones or creating complete toolchains. The utilization of integrated tool frameworks such as Eclipse-based platforms leads to more efficient design methods for standard software architectures such as AUTOSAR, GENIVI or EAST-ADL.

Services

In order to put new software development methods into practice, Fraunhofer ESK conducts joint research and works together with automobile manufacturers during pre-series production and development of the electronics. The institute also cooperates with automotive suppliers and tool manufacturers to create automobile-specific development tools. Apart from its development-based R&D activities, Fraunhofer ESK also participates in national and international research projects.

By offering model-based design methods and analysis as well as software architectures and tools, the Automotive Software research group helps its customer streamline the development of existing and future automotive software.

1.
 Set up of tool platforms and tool integration and corresponding methods
2. Model-driven design methods and analyses
3. Virtual integration for early-phase hardware/software co-simulation and other tasks
4. Test methods for validating functional and non-functional characteristics

Projects

  • Self-describing Adaptive Software

    In the RT-DESCRIBE project (Iterative Design Process for Self-Describing Real Time Embedded Software Components), Fraunhofer ESK is working with the French Carnot institute CEA LIST on a new method and toolchain for developing such adaptive embedded software systems.

  • Model-based Validation of Automobile Infotainment Functions

    Fraunhofer ESK is working together with BMW Research and Technology GmbH and the responsible departments within BMW AG to develop concepts for the model-based validation of infotainment functions.

  • Reliable Integration of Consumer Devices in the Automobile

    Today, most people cannot imagine carrying out daily tasks without consumer devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players, USB memory sticks and PDAs. This explains the growing demand for devices that can be integrated into the vehicle. Because of the varying product life cycles and wide range of manufacturers however, developers can find it difficult to provide reliable support.

  • Ensuring software reliability

    The number of software-based functions in modern automobiles is constantly on the rise. Roughly 90 percent of the innovative features in the automobile are software-driven. Today’s luxury class vehicles contain as many as 80 software-based electronic control units (ECUs) that are networked together. Software development has become increasingly more complex as a result, which presents manufacturers with new challenges. Combining methods from the fields of component- and model-based software development promises to overcome this increasing level of complexity.

  • Model-based Verification of Infotainment ECUs

    The growing complexity and networking of infotainment functions in the automobile presents a major challenge for software developers. Individual ECUs (electronic control unit) are typically developed separately and then integrated into a system at a later point. With its multilayer communications functionality, the MOST® (media oriented systems transport) bus is the current standard in infotainment systems.

  • CAMoS Framework

    Shrinking development cycles for new functions are forcing software engineers to rely more and more on model-based software tools. This is evident in the automobile industry as well. To meet the various demands of development processes such as device simulation, prototyping and production code generation, stand-alone tools that permit model-based software development have become well established. This variety of disparate tools has transformed automotive software development into a discontinuous process.

  • Model-based development with CAMoS, ARTiS and MoTeF

    New software functions are constantly being introduced that must be implemented within increasingly shorter development cycles. Stand-alone tools for the various phases of development support model-based development but provide no continuity. This results in disruptions to the process chain and a highly error-prone development process. Carrying out modifications in the later stages of development is time-consuming and costly. To address this issue, Fraunhofer ESK offers an end-to-end modeling method for the model-based development of software through the CAMoS, ARTiS and MoTeF platforms. These toolchains are used primarily in the automobile industry.

  • MoTeF - Model-based Test Framework

    In the face of increasingly complex software and high pressure to save costs, automated model-based test scenario generation enables a high level of efficient industrial-scale quality assurance in software development. With the MoTeF framework, the Fraunhofer ESK offers a tool that automatically generates test scenarios from UML (unified modeling language) models for use in systems or integration testing. It is therefore easily integrated in existing toolchains.

  • State-of-the-Art Vehicle Software Architectures

    Electronics and software are the foundation of new vehicle functions and are thus a key competitive factor. This development sheds light on two important trends in automotive engineering: An increasing variety of functions and features and a growing share of vehicle software in automotive systems.

  • Seamless Modeling and Code Generation for Embedded Systems

    Together with AUDI AG, Fraunhofer ESK evaluated seamless modeling and code generation methods using the IBM Rational Rhapsody embedded systems tool.

  • Detecting errors during the early stages of software design with ERNEST

    The aim of the ERNEST framework is to allow the validation of non-functional requirements while the system is still being modelled and designed.

  • Improved Software Models with the Guideline Checker

    Fraunhofer ESK designed a guideline checker that is compatible with the IBM Rational Rhapsody development tool, a platform commonly used in the automobile industry.