Automotive Architecture Framework for Rapid ECU Prototyping in C++

The software development in the automotive industry follows very tight guidelines, focused mainly on the safety of passengers and pedestrians. One of the most used developing lifecycles is the V-model, a very rigorous and therefore very slow and expensive process. It is very effective for series production, but inconvenient for prototyping development. The aim of this thesis work is to build a new development workflow specifically for low-series production, show-cars, and prototypes. The first part of my work consisted in modelling some test components in Vector PREEvision and exporting the resulting ARXML files. Then a Python script and a C++ library have been developed; the aim of the script is to parse the ARXML files and export all the needed information, while the C++ library provides the programmer with ease of access to the CAN network and to the messages and signals described in said files. Finally, a demo program has been written and run on a development board, making use of the library to control a series production headlamp, by mimicking its control ECU. In conclusion, it has been shown that it is feasible to develop and deploy an ECU in C++ with limited effort, hopefully paving the way to easier, cheaper and faster car prototyping.