The programmability of ECUs (electronic control units) in today’s predominantly software-defined vehicles enables rapid troubleshooting, adaptation to market requirements and the integration of new functions. This high degree of flexibility and adaptability in ECU programming necessitates frequent updates and leads to an increase in the time and effort involved in software development. In addition, the amount of data that needs to be transmitted, processed and ultimately tested increases with each new generation of vehicles. Softing’s multi-flash plug-in, incorporated in the engineering tester DTS.monaco, enables parallel access to up to eight ECUs or vehicles, even on a remote basis, thus optimizing the update process and maximizing the advantages of the flashable ECUs.

High Number of ECUs and Large Data Volumes during Flashing

A high number of ECUs need to be tested and updated, particularly in the areas of prototype construction and manufacture preparation. OEMs generally update the supplied ECUs, which are often already installed and have to be tested and updated in the network, for example in test vehicles or test benches. It is crucial that all ECUs and vehicles are promptly updated to the desired software version to obtain meaningful results.

Manufacturing poses a further challenge, as the ECUs must be equipped with the correct software ‘just in time’ to avoid delays on the production line and ensure an efficient process flow. Suppliers often perform this time-consuming task upstream. This requires an efficient method of updating several hundred ECUs correctly and on time before delivery.

In all applications, there is also the aspect of differentiating between identical and different ECUs, as the same or different flash data must be stored accordingly. With identical ECUs, standardized flash procedures ensure high efficiency and consistency. In the case of different ECUs, individual flash strategies must be applied to make optimum use of the available bandwidth.

Increasing Performance with a Scalable Multi-Flash Strategy

Regardless of the choice of system, such as which bus system is used for vehicle access, the parallelization of processes is essential for increasing efficiency over the entire vehicle life cycle. To obtain a targeted strategy for parallel flashing, Softing DTS.monaco offers a multi-flash plug-in that allows the simultaneous access of up to eight ECUs or vehicles. Using the VIN|ING 2000 interface as a smart VCI also makes remote access to test objects possible thanks to the integrated memory and WLAN module. The ODX and OTX diagnostic standards ensure future-proof and flexibility.

The multi-interface enables both sequential and parallel updates and allows the independent selection of diagnostic projects and flash data. This means that various vehicles can be programmed and tested in parallel. The results are stored in XML files and can easily be fed back into databases and evaluated. The intuitive user interface also offers the advantage that even semi-skilled employees can carry out and document the programming of ECUs.

Conclusion

The increasing necessity for software updates poses a considerable challenge for flash programming with a high number of ECUs – both in terms of time and commercially. Parallel flash programming offers a significant increase in efficiency here, as several ECUs or vehicles can be addressed simultaneously, considerably reducing the overall time required to update the software. With its multi-flash plug-in, Softing DTS.monaco makes it possible to start, verify and document up to eight parallel programming processes, even remotely. The intuitive and configurable user interface is suitable for both experts and semi-skilled workers. Thanks to the automation and parallelization of the flash processes, the need for manual intervention is cut to a minimum and a scalable process mapped, resulting in considerable cost savings and higher productivity.

Author: Claudio Amato is Product Manager for the Diagnostic Tool Set (DTS) at Softing Automotive Electronics GmbH.

© Softing Automotive Electronics GmbH (Photo / Text v.i.S.d.P.)