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Project

#269 Remote Diagnostics and Safety Verification


Principal Investigator
Rahul Mangharam
Status
Completed
Start Date
Jan. 1, 2014
End Date
Dec. 31, 2014
Project Type
Research Applied
Grant Program
MAP-21 TSET National (2013 - 2018)
Grant Cycle
TSET - University of Pennsylvania
Visibility
Public

Abstract

The project goal is to design and implement an automotive architecture for remote diagnostics of on-board controller software, and thereby avoid expensive and safety-critical recalls. In 2010, over 20.3 million cars were recalled. Many recalls arise from software problem within Electronic Controller Units (ECUs) which are responsible for safety-critical functions such as stability, traction and cruise control. For example, in August 2011, Jaguar recalled 17,678 vehicles because the cruise controller might not respond to normal inputs and, once engaged, could not be switched off. While most software testing is done in the production phase, there is no support for subsequent diagnostics of safety-critical software. We are developing AutoPlug, an automotive ECU architecture between the vehicle and a Remote Diagnostic Center (RDC), to diagnose, test, update, and verify control software. In the event of a software issue, the RDC will dispatch custom diagnostic code to the vehicle over a network link, and observe the state of the on-board controller. With logged data reported to the RDC, we identify the control system model of the specific vehicle and synthesize a reconfigured controller. The reconfigured controller is dispatched to the vehicle and a code update is performed after sufficient safety guarantees are established.    
Description
The project goal is to design and implement an automotive architecture for remote diagnostics of on-board controller software, and thereby avoid expensive and safety-critical recalls. In 2010, over 20.3 million cars were recalled. Many recalls arise from software problem within Electronic Controller Units (ECUs) which are responsible for safety-critical functions such as stability, traction and cruise control. For example, in August 2011, Jaguar recalled 17,678 vehicles because the cruise controller might not respond to normal inputs and, once engaged, could not be switched off. While most software testing is done in the production phase, there is no support for subsequent diagnostics of safety-critical software. We are developing AutoPlug, an automotive ECU architecture between the vehicle and a Remote Diagnostic Center (RDC), to diagnose, test, update, and verify control software. In the event of a software issue, the RDC will dispatch custom diagnostic code to the vehicle over a network link, and observe the state of the on-board controller. With logged data reported to the RDC, we identify the control system model of the specific vehicle and synthesize a reconfigured controller. The reconfigured controller is dispatched to the vehicle and a code update is performed after sufficient safety guarantees are established.
Timeline

    
Strategic Description / RD&T

    
Deployment Plan

    
Expected Outcomes/Impacts

    
Expected Outputs

    
TRID


    

Individuals Involved

Email Name Affiliation Role Position
rahulm@seas.upenn.edu Mangharam, Rahul University of Pennsylvania PI Other

Budget

Amount of UTC Funds Awarded
$0.00
Total Project Budget (from all funding sources)
$

Documents

Type Name Uploaded
Final Report 269_-_Remote_DIagnostics_-AUTOPLUG__An_Architecture_for_Remote_Electronic_Controller_Unit_D.pdf March 28, 2019, 9:47 a.m.

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