PREEvision – DBC, LFD, FIBEX and Ethernet Communication
PREEvision supports the AUTOSAR compliant communication design of all data elements transferred over the bus, regardless of whether via CAN, CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay or Ethernet.
Advantages
- Support for CAN, CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay and Ethernet
- System signal/data mapping of data elements to system signals
- Automatic creation of signals, data mappings and signal routes
- Numerous routing options and delta state routing
- Support for the standard formats LDF, DBC and FIBEX
- Support for J1939, including ISO 11783 (ISOBUS)
- Integration with other Vector tools
The Use Case
All physical signals on the network are defined on the communication layer. For this purpose, PREEvision supports CAN, LIN, FlexRay and Ethernet bus systems, which can also be modeled in mixed topologies in the main network diagram.
On the communication layer, the signals, PDUs, frames and schedules are specified. Table editors and automations such as the signal router are available for this purpose. For service-oriented architectures, PREEvision supports Ethernet as the bus technology.
Functions / Features
Signal Mapping
The communication of data elements over a bus is represented in AUTOSAR by the system signal. In order to trace the alignment of these two elements, it is necessary to define a mapping link from the data element (software layer) to a system signal (communication layer). This is called data mapping in AUTOSAR.
Signal Router
Another important aspect in this phase of the system description is the definition of routes of individual system signals. The signal router supports the completion of the communication matrix.
It calculates the best route for the signals with the data elements to be transferred. Many communication artifacts are generated automatically by the signal router. In addition to many routing options and routing via delta states, all routed signals can also be displayed graphically in networking diagrams.
CAN, CAN FD, LIN and FlexRay
In order to transmit system signals over the bus, additional details must be defined. Each bus segment is configured dependent on its technology here.
One component of this configuration is the PDU layout and frame layout. In this phase, signals are assigned to PDUs, which are in turn assigned to frames.
Other communication attributes are also specified, such as the data type, send mode, initial value, scheduling, network management, transport protocol etc. A special editor is available for creating and editing frames, PDUs and signals. Protocol-specific editors for CAN, CAN FD, LIN and FlexRay are also available. For integration with additional tools, PREEvision supports the LDF, DBC and FIBEX formats in addition to AUTOSAR.
Partial Networking
With partial networking, parts of architectures can switch off temporarily to conserve available resources. For this purpose, clusters that can switch off and on and be monitored via control and status ports are defined in PREEvision.
Ethernet
Ethernet is being adopted as a bus technology in vehicles. PREEvision supports AUTOSAR compliant service and communication design for Ethernet communication in vehicles. The signal router can define VLANs and also calculate the communication path for defined VLANs.
J1939
PREEvision also supports CAN network protocol SAE J1939 for commercial vehicles, including ISO 11783 (ISOBUS) for agricultural machines.
ISOBUS enables uniform and easy control of different add-on equipment from the cab of the tractor. The expanded CAN multiplexing required here is supported.
AUTOSAR Toolchain
PREEvision is part of the Vector AUTOSAR tool chain and works with CANoe, DaVinci Developer and DaVinci Configurator Pro.
Publications
Technical Articles
Service-Oriented Architectures and Ethernet in Vehicles
Towards data centers on wheels with model-based methods
Service-oriented architectures (‘SOAs’) have been used for years in the IT industry to describe and structure distributed systems. However, service-oriented design is also becoming extremely significant in the automobile industry: how else can customers’ increasingly urgent demand to adapt the scope of functions of the automobile, similar to the possibilities of today’s smartphones, be met reliably? It is also necessary to handle additional requirements from model maintenance and to introduce technology such as autonomous driving and vehicle-to-X communication.
The development tool PREEvision supports the methodical, consistent design of a service-oriented architecture. The user is guided from the definition of the service interfaces, through specification of the interaction of services, to an AUTOSAR compliant Ethernet design through an integrated workflow. If other bus technologies such as CAN, LIN, or FlexRay are also to be used in addition to Ethernet, mixed topologies can also be designed. Thus PREEvision accompanies the system designer through the challenging task of combining classic embedded design with modern service orientation and the necessary back-end communication – and thereby supports the transformation of the automobile into a data center on wheels.
Translation of a German-language publication "Elektronik automotive", special "Ethernet" 2017
Eye On the Whole System
Why consistent implementation of the AUTOSAR system view is worth it
Started thirteen years ago, the AUTOSAR standards enables efficient electric/electronic development today. Besides continuous additions in recent years, the systems thinking remains a mainstay of the standard. Rather than focusing on the individual ECU or on a communication bus, AUTOSAR always looks at the whole system. This system view is playing a more and more important role in the digitization of the automotive industry and, together with the “Adaptive Platform”, is paving the way for the next generation of vehicle electronic systems.
Translation of a German-language publication "Elektronik automotive", issue 10/2016
Videos
Model-Based E/E Development with PREEvision
From Architecture Design to Series Production
PREEvision offers a comprehensive modeling language to describe all aspects of e/e systems. All engineers involved in the development process find tailored diagrams and editors for their work. And all in one integrated tool. Communication designers define how software components exchange data across networks within the vehicle, for example. PREEvision supports all relevant network technologies including CAN, LIN, FlexRay and Ethernet.
Playing time 4:00 minutes, published 3/2018
