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Increasing demand for utilities like navigation systems or user-defined electronic phonebooks on one hand and sophisticated engine and gear controls on the other hand leads to growing bus load between distributed local control units. This paper shows the benefits and the characteristics of various state of the art data-compression algorithms and their impact on typical automotive multiplex dataclasses. The evaluation and optimization of promising algorithms can be done via a proposed “communications prototyping”-approach. The hardware/software components of such a rapid prototyping package are outlined. Finally, first performance results of suitable data-compression measures are presented.

The improvement of low-speed MUX-systems in car-body areas gets important in a scenario where on one hand, the possible number of integrated local control units (LCU's) gets larger and on the other hand, the possible versions of a car range from basic to top-of-the-line. Cost and developement time can be reduced if the same MUX-System is used throughout this whole range. A possibility to realize this is the use of data-compression (DC) for data-transmission. Basic configurations integrating only a small number of LCU's of a car-MUX can communicate without using data-compression, whereas for the top-of-the-line versions, the performance can be enhanced using DC only for communication processes between additional control units causing critical peak load situations. Specifically, the use of adaptive algorithms in automotive multiplex systems is a promising way to improve the MUX's capacity performance by minimizing redundant symbols/information in peak-load situations.

Increasing demand for dynamically controlled safety features, passenger comfort, and operational convenience in upper class automobiles requires an intensive use of electronic control units including software portions. Modeling, simulation, rapid prototyping, and verification of the software need new technologies to guarantee passenger security and to accelerate the time-to-market of new products. This paper presents the state-of-the-art of the design methods for the development of electronic control unit software at BMW. These design methods cover both discrete and continuous system parts, smoothly integrating the respective methods not merely on the code level, but on the documentation, simulation, and design level. In addition, we demonstrate two modeling and prototyping tools for discrete and continuous systems, namely Statemate and MatrixX, and discuss their advantages and drawbacks with respect to necessary prototyping demands.

This paper describes a strategy that allows a vehicle builder to quickly design and build an electrical communication and control system infrastructure. The power, ground, and communication infrastructure connects readily available operator interfaces and other electromechanical devices together with high level controllers to provide a complete vehicle electrical system.