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8-UP ECU Flashing Station

Posted in LabVIEW, Test & Measurement Automation, Test Stand

Summary

Electronic Control Units (ECUs) are embedded modules that perform a wide range of essential functions within modern vehicles.  ECUs run firmware (embedded software) that gives ECUs their “intelligence” and governs their behavior and capabilities. The process of installing or updating this firmware on an ECU is commonly referred to as “flashing”. ECU Flashing is an essential process that transforms ECU hardware into a fully functional controller prior to being assembled into a vehicle and allows ECUs to be updated in the field when necessary.

The average flashing time for an ECU can vary between two to six minutes, and most of this time doesn’t require active inputs from an operator. Once the new software has been flashed, it’s common to verify that the process completed successfully through CAN communication, which can add several more minutes to the total process time.

DMC designed and programmed a test stand capable of flashing up to eight ECUs at a time. Heavy-duty multi-signal connectors located in the back of the test stand provide the necessary connections for power and communication to each ECU. 

Not all channels have to be connected for the process to work, as each one can be run independently from each other if desired. The application flashes the desired software to each ECU and verifies CAN data and responses afterward. The system checks broadcast CAN data (as defined in a CAN “dbc” database), “DIDs” (as acquired using “Read Data by Identifier” service of the Unified Diagnostic Services protocol), and Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs). The flashing data is all written to a report at the end that is tagged/sorted by ECU model and serial number for easy data retrieval. 
 

Solution

Cost and Time Savings with 8-Up Simultaneous Flashing

Up to eight ECUs can be simultaneously flashed with this test stand, drastically increasing automotive efficiency. All eight channels can be activated simultaneously or controlled individually. Each channel relies on its own “clone” of the core software required to control the flashing process properly. This ensures that all channels have equivalent and identical behavior, but remain independent from each other for flexibility.

Additionally, a DMC Relay Board controls the connectivity between the ECU and the various test stand devices, routing power and communication lines for proper ECU interfacing. This gives the system automated control over which channels are active. The image below demonstrates how each channel can be in different stages of the flashing process. 
ECU Interface DMC

Vector vFlashStation API

Vector provides a set of C/C# API methods that allow an external application to control their vFlash software. In this case, we created a C-based wrapper of these API commands so that we could access them through our LabVIEW application. For more details on how we accomplished this, check out the “Simultaneously Flash 8 ECUs with LabVIEW and Vector” blog.

Flexibility

The test stand was originally designed with four different ECU models in mind, but a modular and configurable architecture allows the end users to add/edit/delete ECU models to cover evolving product/test requirements. The application creates LabVIEW readable files for each ECU model that store the chosen flashing parameters. The program then creates, modifies, or deletes these files as necessary. This gives the customer the flexibility to modify the functionality without any additional software development.

DMC ECU models

UDS Request and Response Verification

Vector vFlash allows users to implement a pre-action and post-action script, so any function called within these scripts will execute at the appropriate time. This test stand utilizes these scripts to send UDS requests before and after software flashing to verify proper installation. Some of the requests sent include requests for ECU parameters such as software version, battery voltages, timestamp, etc. The software also sends shutdown commands through Vector tools to ensure that the configured parameters are saved to memory. The vFlash API then uses the ID byte to read and store the response from the ECU. The test stand then writes this information to a report text file (described below).

Manual Mode Operation

The software includes a system state diagram that provides manual control of individual relays and device configuration. From this view, the operator can perform any operation that the test stand hardware is capable of through a user-intuitive front panel. The relay controls can be toggled through mouse clicks, and the color indicates the current state of the relay, making it a powerful tool for ad-hoc measurements and investigations outside of the standard test procedure. This mode is only available to users with the proper access level.

ECU flashing station

Operator Error Reduction

Flashing an ECU with the wrong software could lock up the ECU due to an incorrect SeedKey. A locked-out ECU now needs to follow special protocol to be rebooted, which can cost time and money. This test stand mitigates the problem by verifying the serial number of the scanned ECU against the ECU software selected. If the serial number matches serial numbers of the desired ECU type, flashing will continue as normal. Otherwise, the flashing process is canceled, and the operator is alerted to verify the ECU scanned or ECU type selected.

ECU error

Security Checks

Once an ECU flash procedure failed, it’s critical to understand why and repair the ECU if necessary. To ensure that a trained technician is aware of any potential issues, the test stand will lock out any channels that have experienced an error and remain in the error state until the proper user has logged in. This prevents operators from ignoring issues or shipping ECUs with potential errors.

If the operator enters improper credentials to reset the failure, a pop-up will notify the operator and remain in the error state.

ECU login failed

Report Generation

A folder for each ECU is created with the ECU type and serial number in the folder name. Each folder contains files that log the UDS request and response verification portion of the flashing process. The data logged includes the Vector request byte, the recorded ECU response, as well as the configured limits for an acceptable response. The program also compares the recorded response to the configured limits to generate an overall pass/fail value for the flashing process.

Additionally, the error state triggers another text file that tracks the error that occurred, the user who reset the error, the channel affected, and a timestamp.

ECU failure read

The hardware design and software architecture make this test stand an extremely flexible and powerful piece of test equipment. Not only does it increase throughput, but it also simplifies the overall flashing process for the operator.

Learn more about DMC's Test and Measurement Automation Services. 

Learn more about DMC's LabVIEW Programming Expertise.

Customer Benefits

  • Higher Throughput – Eight independent channels can be configured to simultaneously flash eight ECUs. 
  • Security – Test sequence parameters, flashing configurations, and error resets are password protected. This prevents accidental changes during normal operation.
  • Flexibility – Authorized users can customize the flashing process parameters. Additionally, several configurations can be stored on the test stand for easy setup. Some parameters include wake-up voltage, firmware program to flash, wake-up delay, and shutdown delay.
  • Portability – The test stand was designed around a wheeled mobile cart, allowing it to be easily transported.
  • Reporting – Flashing status, CAN communication, and errors are logged for each ECU. 
  • Manual I/O Checkout – A system state diagram gives the authorized users an intuitive tool to manually control system device, allowing flexibility for specialized diagnostic scenarios.
     

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