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DS4121 ECU Interface Board

Connecting an ECU to a dSPACE system

The DS4121 connects up to two electronic control units (ECUs) with a dSPACE modular system, for example for bypassing tasks. In addition, the DS4121 board provides the possibility to connect dSPACE modular systems to Ethernet devices or networks via an LVDS-Ethernet link cable.

  • Real-time interface to ECUs with 8-, 16- and 32-bit microprocessors
  • Two LVDS channels for high-speed, low-latency communication
  • Tailored for bypass applications

Application Areas

The DS4121 provides the link between your electronic control unit (ECU) and a dSPACE modular system. Bypassing individual ECU algorithms and calculating them on a prototyping system is a typical application example. The connection with the ECU is set up via a dual-port memory plug-on device (DPMEM POD) or via the Generic Serial Interface DCI-GSI2 using an LVDS-Ethernet link cable. Two independent ECUs can be connected to the DS4121 at the same time. This offers the flexibility to operate such things as powertrain control modules containing the engine and transmission controllers, or valve controls for 8- and 12-cylinder engines. In addition, the DS4121 board provides the interface to the LVDS-Ethernet link cable, letting you connect dSPACE modular systems to Ethernet devices or networks.

Key Benefits

The DS4121 is designed to carry out bypassing exactly the way you want. For example, the production-intent ECU can remain in its final mounting position while the prototyping system can be mounted virtually anywhere in the vehicle.

Bypassing with the DS4121

With the DS4121, you can either use one single hardware interrupt from the ECU to the prototyping system, or you can split one interrupt into up to 128 subinterrupts with a specially designed ECU software porting kit, allowing full multi-level, multitasking bypassing. The interrupts can be specified via easy-to-use dialogs. You can also perform service-based bypassing with the RTI Bypass Blockset, which is part of the ECU Interface Base Package.

Parameter Specification
General
  • 2 communication channels
Memory Dual-port memory (DPMEM)
  • 16 K x 16 for each channel
  • 16-bit word access, 8-bit low byte, 8-bit high byte
Interrupts
  • Bidirectional interrupts for synchronization of data transfer (for each channel)
  • Connection lost interrupt (for each channel)
  • 16 subinterrupts (using RTI Bypass Blockset) via one interrupt line
  • FIFO-full and FIFO-empty interrupt (for each channel)
Target ECUs
  • Most kinds of 8-, 16- and 32-bit microprocessors
Communication with ECU
  • Two channels for connecting two ECUs or one dual-CPU ECU
  • Communication between prototyping system and ECU via DPMEM plug-on device (POD) or via Generic Serial Interface DCI-GSI2 using an LVDS-Ethernet link cable
  • POD for SPI available
  • Customer-specific POD can adapt ECU signals to the DS4121 (PODs can be integrated into the ECU enclosure)
  • Compatibility with PODs designed for MicroAutoBox
Cabling
  • Twisted pair cable (CAT5 STP) suitable for close-to-engine location
Signaling system
  • Full-duplex high-speed LVDS link (low-voltage differential signaling)
Transfer rate
  • 250 Mbit/s LVDS interface between DS4121 and ECU
  • 80 Mbit/s effective data rate per channel in both directions
Host interface
  • One 8- or 16-bit ISA slot (power supply only)
Physical characteristics Physical size
  • 340 x 125 x 15 mm (13.4 x 4.9 x 0.6 in)
Ambient temperature
  • 0 … 70 ºC (32 … 158 ºF)
Power supply
  • +5 V, 1.2 A

Real-Time Interface (RTI) Automatic implementation of MATLAB®/Simulink®/Stateflow® models on dSPACE hardware RTI Bypass Blockset Dialog-based configuration of bypassing applications and real-time ECU access Generic Serial Interface DCI-GSI2 Function bypassing, measurement, ECU calibration, and flash programming. Additional ECU Interface Solutions Customer-specific DPMEM PODs and on-chip debugging interfaces
Basic Information Contact Information