Current trends in the design of automotive electronic systems

Today´s situation in this field is characterized by three distinct development phases: First, the analysis and design of functionality. This type of work is typically performed in the laboratory, i.e. on the desk. Second, the implementation of a prototype system, realized by (semi)automatic code generation and followed by a test with a “Lab-car” or in a real vehicle. The third and final step comprises the calibration and fine-tuning of algorithms and their parameters, commonly done in a real car. However, there are some flaws associated with this approach. There is no support for multiple interconnected electronic control units. Automatic generation of code of production quality is still a challenging task. And there is a large gap between the properties of a virtual car and the behavior of the real vehicle. The latter is one reason why nowadays the adjustment of calibration parameters still needs to be done manually. In the future, the picture outlined above will change remarkably. Function development tools will be able to generate efficient and reliable software code automatically. Vehicle models will mimic the characteristics of the real object to an extent we cannot imagine today. And automated test without manual interference will unprecedented degree of optimization and quality throughout a complex network of electronic control units. Almost the entire development process will be shifted to the desk with no need for costly, risky, and error-prone experiments with prototype engines or vehicles