Table of Content

Introduction

Scope

Whenever you create a new RTA-CAR project, rather than configuring the system manually using the ISOLAR-AB GUI, we recommend that you use the importer functionality, which can translate an input file into an AUTOSAR system configuration.

In this Application Note, a sample DBC file will be imported, and the Communication Stack will then be configured for CAN communication.

The result of this sample DBC import will be the creation of an ECU Instance and all the PDUs, System Signals, BSW module configuration etc. that is needed for CAN communication.

The steps described in this note are similar to those that would be required for the configuration of other types of Network (e.g. Ethernet, FlexRay. Lin).

For more information on how to use the ISOLAR-AB importer, please consult the ISOLAR-AB documentation.

Definitions and Abbreviations

BSW: AUTOSAR Basic Software, Hardware independent service layer

RTE: AUTOSAR Real Time Environment

OS: AUTOSAR Operating System

SWC: Software Component

Toolchain

It is assumed you are using the RTA-CAR 9.1.0 toolchain:

Prerequisites

In order to successfully follow the workflow described in this guide, you must have the RTA-CAR toolchain installed and you must be familiar with the AUTOSAR specifications, terminology and methodology.

You will also need to have already completed the Application Software Configuration sample Workflow 01, in which you would have created a sample RTA-CAR project, and then created and configured the sample ASW. The workflow presented below assumes that these artifacts have already been created and properly configured.

Workflow Summary

Here is a summary of the steps that you will be working through in this example.

Step 1. Import a sample DBC file into the RTA-CAR project that you created in Workflow 01.

Step 2. Create the System Description, which will consist of the following sub-steps:

• Step 2.1:  Create a new System.
• Step 2.2:  Set the Category of the new System to SYSTEM DESCRIPTION.
• Step 2.3:  Configure a reference within the System to the Composition that we created in Workflow 01.
• Step 2.4:  Map the SWCs in the Composition to an ECU instance.
• Step 2.5:  Map the System Data.

Step 1. Import a DBC file

Open the sample RTA-CAR project that you created in Workflow 01, then open the DBC importer (make sure the project is selected in the AR Explorer in order to open the DBC importer) with the  button shown here:

In the "Import DBC" pop-up window, choose the DBC file that you wish to import, and then click Next.

Note: Assuming you're following the sample workflow, the DBC located in the system_config folder of the starter kit can be used.

In the list of ECUs, select ApplicationECU and click Next.

Assuming that you've used the Starter Kit DBC, select only the two ApplicationECU frames shown in the screenshot below, then click Finish to begin the import of the DBC file.

You'll see the following message once the DBC import has completed.

The DBC import from the Starter Kit will result in the creation of an ECU Instance ("ApplicationECU") and all the PDUs, System Signals and  BSW module configuration etc. needed for the CAN communication.

You'll see in the example above that there are also references to TestECU, but the ECU Instance for TestECU does not get created as part of the Starter Kit DBC import.

Step 2. Create the System description

With the System Configuration in place, and the DBC file imported, all the elements needed to describe a System now exist. The next step is to create the System Description.

According to AUTOSAR, the System Description is created with a System element with a category of SYSTEM_DESCRIPTION. It contains all the information about the whole system and all the ECUs contained within it.

Once we have our System Description, an ECU Extract can then be created, which is an arxml file containing the description of a single ECU from within the system. 

Note: A System contains multiple ECUs that may or may not be connected to each other.

Step 2.1  Create a new System

To create a new System, in the AR Explorer tab, right click on "System" and select Create System info --> Elements | System.

In the "New AR Element Creation" popup, select the Create New AR Packages option to place the new System in a new ARPackage within the existing DBC_SysDesc.arxml file, and then click Finish.

Step 2.2  Set the Category to SYSTEM_DESCRIPTION

In this next sub-step we are going to set the Category of the new System to SYSTEM_DESCRIPTION.

Right click on the new System, and then select Open with --> Generic Editor.

Set the Category to SYSTEM_DESCRIPTION.  (and leave the ShortName as "System").

Step 2.3  Configure the reference to the Composition

We're now going to configure the reference to the Root Software Composition, which will use the Composition that we created as part of Workflow 01.

Right click on the new System, and then select New Child --> Root Software Composition | Root Sw Composition prototype.

Double click on the new RootSwComposition to open it.

As shown below, change the ShortName to "RootSwCompositionPrototype" and then set the SoftwareComposition to the "TopLevelComposition" that we created in Workflow 01.

Step 2.4  Map SWCs to an ECU Instance

Now that we have the reference to the Composition, we can map some of the SWCs in that composition to one of the two ECU Instances in our new System.

Note: In this example workflow, only the SWCs referring to the ApplicationECU will be mapped, but the SWCs referring to the TestECU could also be mapped.

Right click on the System, then select Open With and then SWC to ECU Mapping Editor.

As shown in the example below, drag a New System Mapping  from the Create New/Map Existing Elements box on the right into the table on the left.

When prompted, call the new System Mapping "SystemMapping".

Expand the TopLevelComposition in the right-hand pane to see the available SWC prototypes, then drag the two SWCs referring to the ApplicationECU to the "ApplicationECU" ECU Instance field in the table on the left.

Shown below is the updated mapping after the drag-and-drop has been done.

Step 2.5  Map System Data

Now we need to map the System Data.

Right-click on the System, then select Open With, then System Data Mapping Editor.

Once in the Mapping Editor, double-click inside the appropriate boxes in the System Signal/Signal Group column and select the correct system signal to be associated to the Data Element.

Conclusions

This example workflow has shown you how to create a System Description.

In Workflow 03 we'll see how to create an ECU Extract and add configuration to it for the RTE, OS and BSW.

Additional Information

Importing LDF Files

In addition to the DBC file format used in the sample workflow, the ISOLAR-AB importer also supports LDF files. See the ISOLAR-AB documentation for more information.

Importing an ECU Extract

An ECU Extract is an arxml file that contains the description of a single ECU. As an alternative to the workflow presented above, an ECU Extract can be imported (i.e. instead of importing input files such as DBC or LDF). Workflow 03 shows you how to create an ECU extract.

Importing other CAN Frames

The sample workflow showed you how to import some general CAN Frames from a DBC. In your own projects you'll likely have some additional needs, such as importing CAN Frames that represent UDS messages, or XCP messages. In these cases, you'll need to specify which types of CAN Frames you are importing so that they are assigned with the correct proprieties. If you fail to do this, you'll have an erroneous import, and the CAN Frames will not be configured for the correct path.

Shown below is the correct selection of Frame Types during the DBC import. Please ensure that you select the correct frame type for each frame before initiating the DBC import.