calsonic vtsystem 201003 en

8/6/2019 Calsonic VTsystem 201003 En

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Technical Article

Building a system testing environment using the VT system

The need for system testing is on the rise with the increasing modularization ofcomponents in automobile development. Calsonic Kansei Corporation (Calsonic

Kansei) introduced Vectors ECU testing solution for meter control systems,succeeding in building a testing system environment.

Background of testing system introduction

Component modularization

The number of components a car is equipped with tendsto increase to achieve multifunctionality in automobiles.

Components thus need to be designed collectively as modules

to reduce the number of individual components and achieve

reduced weight and improved fuel efciency with that. As one

of the few suppliers that globally provide module systems,

Calsonic Kansei provides products such as cockpit modules

and front-end modules to OEMs.

A cockpit module combines components such as the

instrument panel, air conditioner unit, meters, airbag module,

electronic control units (ECUs), audio system, wiring harness

and steering column on a framework of the steering member.

According to Mr. Hisafumi Nishida of the Development

Reliability Group at Calsonic Kanseis Development Division,

The benets of modularization extend to production as well

as development. For example, the amount of labor required

increases at an OEM assembly plant, the more components

there are to equip the car with. Assembly work thus becomes

more efcient by reducing the number of components through

modularization.

Importance of system testing

If components are modularized (systemized), some aspects

are difcult to verify testing individual components in the

development stage. Mr. Nishida states that, cooperative

control timing is a difcult aspect to verify without system

testing. For example, each ECU starts up after application

www.vector-japan.co.jp February 2009


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Technical Article

Tested system (3 ECUs)

CANoe

Tested ECU 1

CAN

GPIB

Ethernet

CANcardXL

RS232C/USB

Diag on CAN

CANstressDR

VT system

CAN

CAN

Diag function

Externalpower source

to supplypower to ECU

Digital &analog I/O

ECU powersupply line

TestReport

failed passed

Testdefinition

(XML)

Testdefinition(CAPL)

TAE(Test Automation Editor)

CAPL Editor

Test definition editor

Communications

databaseCANdb

Diagnosisdatabase

CDD

CANoe testing functions GPIB

Ethernet

CANcardXL

RS232C/USB

CANdb++Editor

CANdelaStudio

Database Editor

Database

Automatic testing

Analysis info display attesting

Automatic determinationof test results

of power at different timing, so one ECU may be in standby

whereas another is not in standby yet. There is also a

difference in interpretation of specications. If the ECU sending

a message and ECU receiving the message are of different

specications, the problem arises of the system as a whole

having misinterpreted specications even if the individual

ECUs are compliant with specications. For that reason, we

need to conrm whether or not startup timing matches as a

whole system and specications are misinterpreted.

Calsonic Kansei had been using Vectors CANoedevelopment tool for vehicle networks in testing individual

ECUs. If necessary, the individual ECUs were connected

to each other after individual testing and system overall

verication performed. Mr. Nishida says that, We had felt the

need for system testing in the past, but we were concerned that

it would take tremendous manpower to build a system testing

environment. So, we couldnt seem to get around to starting

that. In a long-term perspective, we decided building a system

testing environment was necessary to continuously improve

ECU testing technology and precision and to improve quality

(both for ECUs and testing) rather than just simply increasing

ECU testing efciency.

Solutions for system testing with Vectorproducts

Building and automating a system testing

environment with the VT system

Calsonic Kansei was initially aiming to build an environment

where system tests could be carried out at any time. For that

reason, it studied an environment where CANoe is used with

ECUs always connected. Meanwhile, Vector comprehensively

proposed an ECU testing solution other than just CANoe. Thatincluded the VT system hardware for I/O testing that can be

linked to CANoe to simultaneously control CAN communication

and digital/analog signals, Test Automation Editor (TAE) that

can easily create test cases, the CANdela product family that

make test creation more efcient and raise testing quality by

making a database of diagnosis specs, and CANstressDR that

can make diverse disturbance tests (Fig. 1, Fig. 2). Mr. Nishida

states that, We felt that introducing the VT system would allow

us to achieve testing that was difcult to do manually. For

example, switching on and off manually at intervals of 100, 200

or 300 milliseconds is extremely difcult. But we could control

switching on and off automatically at even shorter cycles (in

units of 10 milliseconds) using the VT system, thus improving

testing precision.

Fig. 1 Testing system hardware conguration

Fig. 2 Testing system software conguration



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Technical Article

Calsonic Kansei introduced a solution proposed by Vector for meter control system composed of the three ECUs for meters, air

conditioners and electronic control units. Furthermore, Vector provided Calsonic Kansei with ve typical test cases assuming

diagnosis testing and I/O testing (Table 1).

No Type of test Test case Details of test Vector product function used

1

Diagnosis

testing

Disturbance testing for

overall CAN bus

External power on/off, and

output voltage control

Disturbance testing for overall

CAN bus

Determining if ECU detectsabnormality

CANoe GPIB access function

VT1004 built-in relay

CANstressDR analog disturbance

function

CANoe diagnosis function

CANoe test function

2CAN stubline disturbance

testing for ECUs



CAN stubline disturbance

testing for ECUs

Determining if ECU detects

abnormality



Customize module for VT system*1

CANoe diagnosis function

CANoe test function

*1 CAN stubline disturbance is planned

to be supported by the standard module

to be released later.

3

I/O testing

Switch simulation testing



Simulation of switch input for

ECUs




CANoe test function

4 Output testing



Signal value in CAN message

change



CANoe test function

VT1004 PWM measurement function,

CANoe test function

5 Sensor simulation testing



Sensor input simulation



VT2004 decade resistor

CANoe test function

Table 1. Five test cases provide by Vector



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Technical Article

These test case are dened in CAPL (C-like script language

for CANoe) and XML for CANoe testing. Major test sequences

in particular are dened in XML, so new test denition work

and existing test denition expansion can be done easily with

an intuitive GUI using drag and drop provided by the Test

Automation Editor (TAE) XML editor for CANoe testing (Fig. 3).

Of the ve test cases provided by Vector, Calsonic Kansei

started expansion for the diagnosis test case. As Mr. Nishida

puts it, The reason we started with a diagnosis-related test

case was that diagnosis testing was highly general, being

required for all ECUs. In the future, we would like to use the

remaining test cases and start work on automation of I/O

testing. Making use of the VT system, we can automate turning

switches on and off that had been done manually, so we can

expect a great reduction in labor.

Use of diagnosis test base

Up to recently, Calsonic Kansei had managed in Excel

items such as diagnosis requests, diagnosis responses, and

diagnosis parameters for each ECU. Based on that, ECU

diagnosis function analysis and testing was done by hand.

But with the introduction of the test solution, management of

such information by CANdela database (Vectors diagnosis

database) was introduced. The following benets can be

expected from that.

Fig. 3 Test Automation Editor (TAE)

Simplication of test denition

Using the CANdela database, diagnosis objects such as

diagnosis requests, diagnosis responses and diagnosis

parameters can be handled by identier name. Also, input

support functions such as drag and drop settings for diagnosis

objects in TAE and selection from diagnosis object dialogs in

CAPT editor can be used. That leads to increased efciency

by making test denition simple along with reducing careless

mistakes.

Handling ECU variants

In cases such as ECUs being for delivery to different regions,

minute differences may occur such as changed byte position of

diagnosis parameters, even if ECUs have the same function.

CANdela database manages such differences as ECU

variants (derived specs). Such differences can be absorbed

by compiling using the diagnosis parameter identier name

instead of the byte position. That system allows test denitions

once created to be easily reused in a variety of ECU tests,

achieving labor savings and efciency.

Moreover, the following benets can be expected from utilizing

the CANdela database.

Use of diagnostic communications function

CANoe enables use of a diagnostic console that allows

diagnosis requests to be sent with a simple operation. When

a diagnosis request is received, the data in the message is

displayed as a physical value. Operations on this console can

also be recorded as macros with just the touch of a button and

played back over and over.

Analysis of diagnostic communicationsCANalyzer, as well as CANoe, allows details of diagnostic

communications to be analyzed and displayed. That way,

details of diagnosis request, diagnosis response, and diagnosis

parameters can be displayed on the trace window and time-

series wave form of diagnosis parameter values displayed on

the graphic window.

Development of diagnostic functions around the

database

After designing diagnosis specifications as a database,

developing and evaluating ECUs based on that single



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Technical Article

Fig 4. Image of Testing System

(provided by Calsonic Kansei)

database eliminates differences in specication interpretation

and evaluation mistakes. This results in efciency for the

above-mentioned test denitions as well as labor reduction

while improving ECU quality.

Further system test expansion

Calsonic Kansei will use the VT system to automate I/O testing.

It is also looking at using the CANoe simulation function to

create virtual nodes for ECUs that the meter control system

communicates with and to conduct system testing.

Summary

Overview and outlook

By introducing Vectors ECU testing solution, Calsonic Kansei

gained an environment for automating ECU testing on top of

building a system testing environment. The two companies,

based on their cooperative relationship, will continue to push

forward with expansion of system testing. Mr. Nishida acclaims

that, Thanks to the support of Vector Japan, we were able

to build a system testing environment much smoother than

initially anticipated. One of the benets of introducing ECU

testing is that if something is wrong with the system, we are

able to easily implement feedback testing.

Looking back on introducing the system

Mr. Hisafumi Nishida

Development Reliability Group, Development Division

Calsonic Kansei

I am overjoyed that we were able to take the rst steps toward

building a system testing environment that we were unableto achieve in the past. The testing technology and precision

we imagined could be improved from both a hardware and

software perspective. We are sure that improved efciency and

reduced labor that are demanded just like quality will naturally

follow. We would like to further expand the range of automation

in the future based on the testing environment that was built.

And we are grateful to Vector Japan for providing test cases

and much support. Contact in Japan for further information:Sales Division, Vector Japan Co., Ltd.

Tokyo TEL: 03-5769-6980 FAX: 03-5769-6975Nagoya TEL: 052-957-2471 FAX: 052-957-2469

Email: [email protected]

Tomohito Kanno

Team Leader, Networks & Distributed Systems (PND)

Vector Japan

We are happy that the various functions of Vector products

could be used in building a system testing and ECU testingenvironment. Vector will continue to work to provide products

and services to make customers testing environments more

efficient.


calsonic vtsystem 201003 en

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