dSPACE supports the development of ECU software according to the AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform and the AUTOSAR Classic Platform.
Service-Oriented Architecture
The AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform was developed with the requirements of service-oriented software architectures in mind and focuses on flexibility. It enables the design of flexibly structured ECU software that can be adapted even after its release. This makes it ideal for new application areas, such as autonomous driving.
Technical Details
The main building block of this architecture is the AUTOSAR Runtime for Adaptive Applications (ARA) that provides the required services for executing the actual adaptive applications. The communication and data exchange with adaptive applications is based on Ethernet. It can be set up as required by using brokering services.
Main Advantages
The structure of the software for the AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform and the requirements-based communication setup allow for software updates after the ECU is installed in the vehicle. Additionally, the Adaptive Platform allows for a high communication bandwidth, making it ideal for resource-intensive applications, such as functions for autonomous driving.
Embedded Real-Time Systems
The AUTOSAR Classic Platform standard focuses on ECU software architectures for deeply embedded systems. The ECU software is statically configured for a specific hardware platform, requiring a minimum computing power.
Technical Details
In ECU software based on AUTOSAR Classic Platform, the software functions are implemented as software components (SWCs) that are connected to the basic software components for hardware-oriented tasks via the runtime environment (RTE). The RTE enables the reuse of previously developed and tested SWCs across vehicle projects and variants, which improves the software quality from the start. Data exchange between ECUs is optimized for signal-based communication, e.g., via typical automotive bus systems such as CAN or FlexRay.
Main Advantages
The AUTOSAR Classic Platform standard contains specifications for interfaces between application functions and basic software modules. These specifications support separately developing various functions as software components. They simplify the tasks of combining functions to create one ECU and integrating multiple ECUs. Exchanging and reusing software components is also easier, because functions that were already validated can be used again. This in turn reduces the development and testing effort.
