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Thermography EMC Tests: ECU Development Hardware Development 329
Thermography EMC Tests: ECU Development Hardware Development 329
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:100010005349612D22
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æ SAE0938E
334 ECU development Software development
ECU with emulator module The LabCar also emulates the connections
A specially constructed laboratory version of with all of the actuators controlled by the
the ECU is used for laboratory tests. It differs control unit. One of the most important
from the production version by virtue of is the electronic throttle-valve device since
an IC socket in place of the permanently sol- feedback from this device is continuously
dered Flash-EPROM. Plugged into this socket monitored by the ECU. Without the throttle-
is an emulator module which simulates the valve link, it is not possible to operate the
EPROM by means of a RAM. vehicle.
This makes it possible to modify data and The immobilizer also has to be connected
program code “online”. The control opera- to the ECU in order to allow vehicle opera-
tions are performed on a PC. tion. The electrical signals are simulated.
The LabCar thus provides the means for
LabCar simulating the vehicle for the purposes of
In a real operating environment, the control testing the ECU program.
unit receives input signals from sensors and
desired-value generators. It then produces Connection adaptor
output signals to control the physical actua- In the wiring harness which connects the
tors on the vehicle. The sensor signals are LabCar to the ECU, there is a connection
simulated in a laboratory environment. adaptor. Every lead in the wiring harness
The necessary signal generators (e.g. in- is plugged into a socket on the connection
ductive speed sensor) or hardware circuits adaptor. This means this every signal travel-
(e.g. resistor sequence for simulating the ing to or from the control unit is accessible
temperature sensor) are accommodated for testing purposes (e.g. tracking the voltage
in a “black box” known as the LabCar. curve of a control signal using an oscillo-
scope).
Fig. 2
11 LabCar
2 Software testing station
12 TRS 4.22 interface
13 INCA VME
(calibration tool)
3
14 Throttle device 1
(electronic throttle 2
control)
15 Immobilizer
7
16 Connection adaptor
17 K-line (serial 8
1-wire interface)
18 Engine ECU with
emulator module
19 Serial interface 4 6
(RS232)
10 Parallel interface 5
(Centronics link 9
cable with additional
fiber-optic cores)
11 PC (engine model, 10 11 13
LabCar control)
12 Serial interface
(RS232) 12
æ SAE0939Y
13 PC (testing
computer, auxiliary
computer for control
of automatic testing)
ECU development Software development 335
1 Calibration tools
Fig. 1
1 Engine ECU
2 MAC
(compact testing
4 5
and calibration tool)
3 Laptop computer
4 Lambda Scan
(test interface for
1
broadband lambda
æ SAE0940Y
sensors)
5 Thermo Scan
(test interface for
temperature sensors)
ECU development Application-related adaptation 337
Initially, work has to be carried out on the The ECU used for adaptation purposes has
engine test bench. In this basic adaptation an emulator module instead of the program
phase, parameters such as the ignition-timing memory (EPROM) which emulates the
map are defined. When basic adaptation has ECU’s EPROM and RAM. The INCA system
established the foundation for the initial vehi- has access to the data in these memories.
cle trials, all parameters that affect engine This memory emulator represents the
response and dynamic characteristics are most powerful ECU interface currently
adapted. This work is for the greater part available for connecting calibration tools.
performed with the engine fitted in the
vehicle. A simpler method of linking calibration
tools (laptop) to the ECU is offered by the
The scope for optimization on Motronic MAC (compact testing and calibration de-
systems has become so extensive and com- vice). It connects via the K-line of the diag-
plex that many of the functions are now nosis interface or – if present – the emulator
only possible with the aid of automated module (Fig. 1).
optimization methods and powerful tools.
The use and function of the calibration tools
can be illustrated by the description below
of a typical calibration process (Fig. 2 over-
leaf).
338 ECU development Application-related adaptation
All parameters can be altered while the Programming additional control units
engine is running so that the impacts are The new parameter settings obtained can
immediately observable and measurable. also be used on other engine ECUs for fur-
In the case of short-lived or transient ther calibration. This requires reprogram-
processes (e.g. engine starting), it is effec- ming of the Flash-EPROMs in the ECUs.
tively impossible to alter the parameters This is carried out using the INCA kernel
while the process is in progress. In such system tool PROF (Programming of
cases, therefore, the process has to be Flash-EPROM).
recorded during the course of a test. The
measured data is saved to file and then Depending on the extent of the calibration
the parameters that are to be altered are and design innovations, multiple looping of
identified by analyzing the recorded data. the steps described above may take place.
Further tests are performed in order
to evaluate the success of the adjustments
made or to learn more about the process.
Analyzing measured
data 3 Software calibration monitor (example)
passes improvements as
well as problems and
malfunctions. Docu-
mentation is important
340 ECU development Application-related adaptation
the engine ECU and all its connecting leads jective judgement of the test driver and long
in terms of both immunity to external inter- experience play an important part in such
ference and of emission of interference sig- tests. Temperature itself can easily be simu-
nals. A large proportion of this optimization lated on a test bench, but using a chassis
work is carried out during the development dynamometer to assess a vehicle’s response
of ECUs and the sensors concerned, of when pulling away, for example, is very diffi-
course. However, the dimensioning (e.g. cult compared to making the judgement un-
length of cable runs, type of shielding) and der real driving conditions.
routing of the wiring harnesses in the actual In addition, road tests generally involve
vehicle has a major impact on immunity longer distances and several vehicles. This
to and creation of interference. As a result, enables testing of calibration parameters
testing and, if necessary, optimization of across the spread of the vehicles tested and,
the complete vehicle inside an EMC room therefore, allows wider conclusions to be
is absolutely essential. drawn than with calibration based on a
single test subject.
Fault diagnosis Another essential aspect is the impact of
Due to legal requirements, the capabilities variations in fuel grade from one part of the
demanded of fault-diagnosis systems are world to another. The chief effect of such
very extensive. The engine ECU constantly variations in fuel grade is on the engine’s
checks that the signals from all connected starting characteristics and warm-up phase.
sensors and actuators are within specified Vehicle manufacturers go to great lengths to
limits. It also tests for loose contacts, short ensure this a vehicle will run properly on all
circuits to ground or to the battery terminal, the fuels on the market.
and for plausibility with other signals. The
signal range limits and plausibility criteria Cold-weather trials
must be defined by the application devel- Cold-weather trials cover the temperature
oper. These limits must firstly be sufficiently range from approx. 0 °C to – 30 °C. Preferred
broad to ensure that extreme conditions locations for cold-weather trials are places
(e.g. hot or cold weather, high altitudes) do such as northern Sweden and Canada. The
not produce false diagnoses, but secondly, primary function is to assess starting and
sufficiently narrow to provide adequate sen- pulling away.
sitivity to real faults. In addition, fault re- During the starting sequence, every indi-
sponse procedures must be defined to spec- vidual combustion process is analyzed and
ify whether and in what way the engine may the appropriate parameters optimized where
continue to be operated if a specific fault is necessary. Correct configuration of parame-
detected. Finally, detected faults have to be ters for every individual injection sequence
stored in a fault memory so that service is a decisive factor in engine start time and
technicians can quickly locate and rectify smooth increase of engine speed from
the problem. starter speed to idle speed. Even a single im-
perfect combustion process with resulting
Testing under extreme climatic reduced torque development during the
conditions startup phase is perceived as a deficiency –
Testing procedures include trials under ex- even by inexperienced customers.
treme climatic conditions that are normally
only encountered under exceptional circum-
stances during the service life of the vehicle.
The conditions that are encountered during
these trials can only be simulated to a lim-
ited degree on a test bench because the sub-
342 ECU development Application-related adaptation
æ UMS0697-1Y
ECU development Quality management 343
▶ Index