Papers from INCHRON

Following publications are available for download

Embedded Software Engineering Kongress 2010, Dez 2010

December 2010 | Embedded Software Engineering Congress 2010
Real-time behavior of complex systems - best analyzed with both methods and control  

The possibilities and limitations of two methods of analysis of real-time behavior of embedded systems are discussed here: the formal scheduling analysis using worst-case scenario and the real-time simulation. It sets out how the advantages of both methods of analysis of real-time behavior in a model-based development process will be used in addition.

Tapio Kramer, INCHRON GmbH, Dr. Ralf Münzenberger, INCHRON GmbH
Embedded Software Engineering Congress 2010, December 2010  

October 2010 | Presentation at the 3rd AutoTest, FKFS

October 2010 | Presentation at the 3rd AutoTest, FKFS
Modeling and real-time analysis of complex causal loops in driver assistance systems  

An integrated performance analysis improves the development process of control units in a Model-based development with UML / SysML. For some necessary adjustments such as the creation of a UML profile and the adaptation of code generation are required.

Tapio Kramer, INCHRON GmbH, Dr. Ralf Münzenberger, INCHRON GmbH
3. Autotest, FKFS, October 2010 

June | IAV 4. IAV 4. Conference - Simulation and testing for automotive electronics

June 2010 | IAV 4. Conference - Simulation and testing for automotive electronics
Hedge the real-time behavior using virtual integration 

One third of the effort spent for debugging the integration of components into the electrical/electronic (E/E) systems is caused by timing problems. These time and money consuming real-time issues can significantly be reduced by virtual integration. The early integration of models of uncompleted components into the overall system model is feasible on many levels, within control units, into systems of networked control units, and even into systems spanning multiple domains. The paper describes a method of modeling the real-time behavior of E/E systems and its application. The models are subsequently simulated and analyzed for real-time requirements.

Dr. Ralf Münzenberger, Tapio Kramer, INCHRON GmbH
IAV 4. Conference - Simulation and testing for automotive electronics 2010, Berlin 

December 2009 | ESE Embedded Software Engineering Kongress 09

December 2009 | ESE Embedded Software Engineering Kongress 09
Timing-fokussiertes Design eingebetteter Systeme 

Durch Design-Fehler entstandene Timing-Probleme werden häufig erst sehr spät im Entwicklungsprozess erkannt. Werden jedoch beim Systementwurf die zeitlichen Eigenschaften und Anforderungen (Antwort- und Latenzzeiten, Ressourcenauslastung) berücksichtigt, können aufwändige Re-Designs vermieden werden. Der Vortrag beschreibt einen Ansatz, in dem ein UML-Modell zu einem Timing-Modell erweitert wird und mittels Echtzeitsimulation und ?analyse frühzeitig überprüft wird.

Matthias Dörfel, Tapio Kramer, INCHRON GmbH
ESE Embedded Software Engineering Kongress 09, Sindelfingen 

Conquest 2009, Nuremberg

September 2009 | Conquest 09
Design of Robust System Architectures for Automotive ECUs 

The Paper describes a model based approach to improve the robustness and reliability of an embedded system with respect to real-time performance. It characterizes how real-time simulation models are generated, run and analyzed to gain knowledge of the dynamic system behavior. The system's reactions to dynamic stimuli can be predicted without having to implement all hardware and software. A study with an automotive car body control unit illustrates how the timing model is developed parallel to the development progress. Findings and improvements are listed. Besides the technical aspects, the business impact for the current and future systems proves significant advantages of the chosen approach.

Andreas Wolfram, Mikhail Makarov, Continental Automotive GmbH
Tapio Kramer, Wendel Ramisch, Dr. Ralf Münzenberger, INCHRON GmbH
Conquest 2009, Nuremberg 

Advanced Microsystems for Automotive Applications AMAA 2009, Berlin

May 2009 | AMAA
New Functions, New Sensors, New Architectures ?
How to Cope with the Real-Time Requirements

The detection of the omni-present event chains in embedded applications goes far beyond functional modelling and static analysis. Once identified the analysis of their dynamics reveals a lot of data about the system like stability, critical paths or load reserves for future extensions. By using Task-Models and a real-time simulation tool the detection and analysis of event chains is very easy. Especially in distributed and collaborative development environments this is very helpful in reaching not only functional perfect systems but also delivering a high level of real-time quality.

T. Kramer, R. Münzenberger; 13th Int. Forum on Advanced Microsystems for Automotive Applications AMAA 2009, Berlin

embedded world congress 2009, Nuremberg

February 2009 | embedded world congress
With Measurements to Real-Time Simulation

The components of (networked) embedded systems heavily influence each other's real time behavior that therefore is hard to predict and test. Nonetheless it can cause critical errors that until now can only be found very late in the development process. The paper describes a straight forward approach to build a simulation model that enables system architects, developers and integrators to analyze the real time behavior very efficiently.
From the functional description and its implementation the execution logic and dependencies of the system components are known. The measured trace data of a prototype provides the necessary components' execution times and activation statistics. Combining this information in a real time model and running it on a simulator allows exploring various system states to identify real time critical situations. Measurements only can't do the job since they are expensive, affect the system and often show only short time slices in certain system states. The real time model however can run over long time, cover multiple system states and will show the reaction to stimuli that are hard to reproduce on a HiL. Finding rare real time errors, optimizing the performance and predicting the effect of planned changes to the system is easier with real time simulation.

T. Kramer, R. Münzenberger; embedded world congress 2009, Nuremberg

ECRTS 2008

June 2008 | ECRTS
Advanced Hierarchical Event-Stream Model

Analyzing future distributed real-time systems, automotive and avionic systems, is requiring compositional hard real-time analysis techniques. Well known established techniques as SymTA/S and the real-time calculus are candidates solving the mentioned problem. However both techniques use quite simple event models. SymTA/S is based on discrete events the real-time calculus on continuous functions. Such simple models has been choosen because of the computational complexity of the considered mathematical operations required for real-time analysis. Advances in approximation techniques are allowing the consideration of more expressive descriptions of events. In this paper such a new expressive event model and its analysis algorithm are described. It integrates the models of both techniques. It is also possible in this module to integrate an approximative real-time analysis into the event model. This allows to propagate the approximation through the analysis of a distributed system leading to a much more efficient analysis.

K. Albers, F. Bodmann, F. Slomka; Euromicro Conference on Real-Time Systems 2008 (ECRTS'08), Prag

DATE 2008

March 2008 | DATE Conference
An application-based EDF scheduler for OSEK/VDX

Earliest deadline first scheduling performs processor utilization up to 100 percent and improved robustness in overload situations. However, most automotive applications are running under static priority policy. Because of this, the standard operating system in the automotive industry, OSEK/VDX, just supports priority scheduling. This paper describes an EDF scheduler plug-in for OSEK/VDX. The plug-in provides EDF scheduling without changes to the operating system by delaying task activations.

The add-on was tested for an engine management system developed by SiemensVDO. Results of this experiment are presented and discussed, showing that the EDF scheduling techniques can improve the system in aspects of robustness and resource utilization.

C. Diederichs, U. Margull, F. Slomka, G. Wirrer; DATE 2008, Munich

Advanced Automotiv Electronics 2007

January 2007 | AAE Conference
Developing Real-Time Constrained Embedded Software Using Task Models

This paper presents a task-centered view of embedded software design. Analysing the interactions of tasks by simulation reveals the dynamic real-time behaviour of embedded software and ensures that the software meets defined deadlines without sacrificing efficiency in the utilisation of the electronic control units. Investigating real-time performance is essential for the design of communication between electronic control units in embedded automotive electronics applications. In the design phase, the concept of task models helps the designer to detect timing correlations between FlexRayTM frames and the execution times resulting from the distributed synchronisation algorithm and task activations.

T. Komarek, M. Dörfel, R. Münzenberger; Advanced Automotiv Electronics (AAE 2007), Gaydon