Automatic Evaluation of ECU Software Tests

When testing electronic control unit (ECU) software, test stimuli as well as test results are time-dependent signals. In order to effectively achieve high quality testing during development, the approved results of former tests serve as reference data for regression and back-to-back tests. The evaluation of those tests leads to a new task, the trustworthy comparison of time-dependent signals. To carry out this task we developed new concepts for signal comparisons and a tool, called MEval, for automating the test evaluation. Given a reference and a current result signal as inputs MEval evaluates their similarity. A new variant of a dynamic time warping algorithm, called difference-matrix preprocessing, allows an independent assessment of amplitude deviation and possible time shifts.

Using the automatic test evaluation we defined an integrated test process for the model-based development of ECU software. In this process, regression and back-to-back-tests are performed, automatically evaluated and released. We thus gain reproducible and trustworthy regression and back-to-back test evaluations leading to higher quality.