(ATC-A), a company tasked with testing the ECU for a sunroof. Take the case of Aisin Technical Center of America Inc. This makes analyzing data easy, ensuring quick and intuitive understanding of the information. Having the data stored this way means it is easy to spot issues and see when they are solved.

Results are easy to view and are coordinated during the test. The data is time-stamped so that every piece is lined up as it is recorded. An Integrated Solution is BetterĪn integrated method that uses various modules and software that work together with a common time stamp is better, allowing the data to be stored and organized in one spot with a common file format. Devices without time stamps cause even more problems: lining up data becomes a guessing game, and finding specific data points becomes nearlyįigure 1: Testing an ECU involves recording a large amount of data and analyzing that data to detect anomalies and problems. Devices with time stamps may still be inaccurate because the stamp may drift between devices. With this mixed-data approach, accuracy is difficult to determine. Even if this data is lined up, coordinating it with video or other information is difficult. Data recording rates differ: for example, an oscilloscope may record a voltage reading ten times a second while a multimeter might record every half second, resulting in misaligned data. The main issue that users will face is assembling and making sense of the data once it’s collected. This method of data collection also has some deficiencies that need to be considered. Additionally, those operating the test equipment are likely already familiar with its operation. Equipment like action cameras and GPS devices are inexpensive and easy to find. It allows testers to use common, off-the-shelf equipment they may already own. Using a mixed equipment setup has its benefits. To use many of these datasets together, they must be pulled into a spreadsheet for matching.

Aligning data becomes difficult because each device may not have a time stamp or is accessed with different software.

To make this data useful for analysis, the timing of each recording device must be aligned. Once data is recorded by the respective equipment, it is then placed on a computer. Data acquisition equipment, storage oscilloscopes, control area network (CAN) bus equipment, video cameras, spectrum analyzers and frequency counters may all be used to collect various types of analog and digital data. Testing often requires connecting different equipment to collect data. Testing a vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU) involves recording a large amount of data and analyzing that data to detect anomalies and problems.

Car ecu testing