Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
requires a certain adaptation to the software/hardware interfaces offered by the test
system. A software interface, e.g. may differ from others in the kind and coding of
the data types. A hardware interface, e.g. may have distinguished signal voltages,
pinning, kind of connections, etc.
For any specific interface of the test system, a link is required to the abstractly
defined test steps. The link abstracts the specific test object. The communication
towards the test description and test evaluation is implemented by communication
channels and—if required—also by appropriate electrical interface hardware. This
kind of connecting tests is applied for embedded platforms (typical, AUTOSAR
class B) as well as for PCs (AUTOSAR class A), while in the latter case inter-
process communication is applied instead of electrical communication media.
6.4.3.6
Influences on the Test Result, Independence of the Adaptation
and Execution
A kind of test candidates requires only a one-time adaptation to the test system,
if all its interfaces are standard. In that case, any other test candidate of this kind
makes use of the same generated links. Obviously the more open a specification is,
the more a deviation in the functionality and in the interfaces of the corresponding
implementation arises. This implies the need for adaptations. It is needless to say
that adaptations of the link between test candidate and test system, especially with
regard to the TC description and the test evaluation, may directly influence the test
result. As such, this must be performed with special care. With respect to public test
specifications and the comparability of solutions by different providers, it is recom-
mended that an independent entity performs checks of the test candidate adaptation
as well as the test execution.
6.4.3.7
Extensibility, Adaptation Ability, Flexibility
In the past, quite often existing standards were extended, revised and altered by
software suppliers and automotive manufacturers for various reasons. Some of the
reasonable examples for these efforts are saving of micro-controller resources, mak-
ing use of special functions or special features of the applied hardware or optimiz-
ing of inappropriately specified mechanisms. A standard is obviously stable only as
long as there is no good reason to modify it.
Consequently, a corresponding test must be adapted or extended. There is a need
for cost effective and fast definition of customer-specific adapted tests, but which
must be clearly distinguished from the official standard tests. A flexible system with
an extension potential and a comprehensible, easy to apply test description language
is required. Comparably, minor modifications of the test should not require a re-de-
sign of the test implementation. This risk quite often is underestimated for the sake
of an alleged better solution. Therefore, the design of a test system shall consider
that none of its components is fully loaded by the already-known tests.
