Vector buys into Timing-Architects to align tool offerings
Through the partnership, ECU developers and automotive OEMs will benefit from a universal tool solution, the new partners advertise. The multi-core capable Autosar basic software Microsar and Vector’s PREEvision, DaVinci Developer and DaVinci Configurator Pro tools then can be complemented by the TA Tool Suite from Timing-Architects. By this means, engineers get an innovative and comprehensive solution which lets them cover all phases of software development for real-time multi-core processors. Software integration is simplified by architectural design, simulation, optimization and the evaluation of real-time data.
To intensify the existing collaboration, Vector Informatik has acquired 49% of Timing-Architects Embedded Systems GmbH shares. The Stuttgart-based tool vendor also supports worldwide sales of the TA Tool Suite and provides local technical expertise. The sales partnership, which has already been launched in the USA and Japan, will be extended to other countries. Nevertheless, TA and Vector will remain autonomous and independent companies.
Michael Deubzer, CEO of Timing-Architects, comments: “Due to their complexity, it is nearly impossible to develop networked multi-core systems without tool support. The real-time behavior of such systems can be validated by a combination of Vector and TA tools.” Vector and TA are also planning additional steps towards realizing efficient and productive automotive engineering.
In a typical development workflow, first the Autosar tools from Vector are used to describe the software components (SWCs) and create a preliminary draft of the ECU configuration. Engineers use PREEvision, DaVinci Developer and DaVinci Configurator Pro for this purpose. Then, the TA tools are used to analyze this configuration and make comparisons to time requirements. The best distribution of the SWCs to the cores and OS partitions is determined by simulation and optimization, and the configuration is then updated. The interplay of different ECUs is considered by simulating the network communication. Data is exchanged between the tools over an Autosar-compliant file interface.
Due to their higher computing power, multi-core processors offer ideal conditions for innovative software applications in vehicles, such as for ADAS systems. However, when applications are running on multiple cores, runtime losses are incurred due to data communication between the cores. For time-critical applications, the challenge is to find an optimal distribution of the application software. With the joint solution from TA and Vector, the network of multi-core ECUs can now be analyzed and optimized consistently, resulting in a reliable and efficient system. Completely in the sense of the vision of Autosar, now developers will have new degrees of freedom in distributing software functions in real-time multi-core processors.
More information at: www.timing-architects.com and www.vector.com/autosar
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