Software Communications Manager for Testing Automotive Electronics via Serial Communication Networks

Automotive electronic components are very likely to be interconnected via a serial communications network. Serial communication networks require less wiring than running parallel signal wires between electronic components. This reduces weight and cost for the manufacturer. Testing automotive electronics that are part of a serial communications network can be a challenge compared to parallel discrete/analog inputs and outputs. Most test engineers are not experts of serial communication protocols or software development. This paper proposes a software communications manager that assists test engineers with common communication tasks when creating tests for automotive electronics. These could be validation or manufacturing tests and possibly verification tests where the test engineer has to have detailed knowledge of the serial communication protocol. The proposed software communications manager will be test application independent, has the ability to emulate other network nodes, communication device independent, communication protocol independent, has data logging capabilities, and has multiple communication protocol support.