How two mid-sized companies are working together to realize new communication paths in vehicles.
In response to the ever-increasing demands on communication within vehicles, the AUTOSAR software architecture is establishing itself not only in the automotive industry, but also in the areas of mobile machinery and commercial vehicles. The question of a standardized method is also increasing for other vehicle components that are addressed. The cooperative research project of the two companies Deutronic Elektronik GmbH and b-plus automotive GmbH shows what standardized communication can look like using the example of high-voltage DC/DC converters.
Already since 2001, the cooperation of EDWANZ group and b-plus group creates a decisive added value for the customers of the companies of both groups. The two companies Deutronic Elektronik GmbH - member of the EDWANZ group - and b-plus automotive GmbH - member of the b-plus group - complement each other perfectly in development know-how and manufacturing capabilities. A cooperation offers the ideal conditions for the realization of complex projects, in which the corresponding core competences and the production capacities of both companies can be optimally used in combination.
Deutronic is established worldwide as an expert for application-specific special devices and customized solutions in the field of power electronics. In addition to a highly innovative product portfolio, Deutronic increasingly sets itself apart from potential competitors through its role as a solution provider. The focus of expertise is on the four business units "Charging Technology", "Transportation", "Logistics" and "Test & Automation", completed by the company-specific area of excellence "More".
Deutronic's high-voltage DC/DC converters previously communicated via standard CAN and J1939.
With its own "Transportation" division, Deutronic focuses specifically on the high requirements in the areas of mobile machinery and commercial vehicles; in particular, the focus is on the development of DC/DC converters, including for hybrid and electric vehicles.
b-plus automotive GmbH develops software for control units (ECU) and assistance systems (ADAS) for automated, autonomous and connected driving. From sensor to cloud Based on platform-independent standard components, it offers holistic engineering services from development, integration, testing and safeguarding (HIL/SIL) to cloud services as a competent partner for OEMs and Tier1 customers.
With more than 10 years of successful engineering with AUTOSAR technologies in the b-plus group and its active involvement in the development of AUTOSAR Adaptive, the company defines automotive communication standards of tomorrow.
The project "Power Electronics meets AUTOSAR" enables the integration of electronic components to a general in-vehicle communication protocol and is implemented by means of the further development of the communication board of a high-voltage DC/DC converter.
The DC/DC converters of Deutronic's DVCH series meet the high requirements in a vehicle and also impress with their extremely flat design due to the planar technology used and their modular construction, which makes customer-specific adaptations and also the development of new communication paths possible in the first place. In the project, the standard protocols CAN and J1939 are extended by AUTOSAR through the new development of the communication module.
With the CONiX AUTOSAR Solution from b-plus automotive and the DC/DC converter series DVCH from Deutronic, the two companies combine their core competencies to solve the challenges of this cooperation project.
The CONiX AUTOSAR Solution is b-plus automotive's customer-oriented solution that combines AUTOSAR together with measurement technology, functional safety monitors and bootloader interfacing to form a finished system for algorithm development for ECUs. Thanks to the framework software and the modular structure, the solution provides the ideal basis for the successful and rapid implementation of AUTOSAR on various ECUs.
Since AUTOSAR saves both time and money thanks to its standardized development environment and modular structure, newer ECUs are increasingly becoming AUTOSAR-enabled. If additional components, such as a DC/DC converter that is indispensable in e-vehicles, can now also communicate via AUTOSAR, ECUs that serve as gateways between the various communication protocols become obsolete. Using the DC/DC converter as an example, signals can be sent directly to the converter, for example, to change the charging voltage for the buffer battery in response to increased or decreased power consumption on the part of the on-board electronics. The converter can also, for example, pass on error messages due to overtemperature directly to the control system without a control unit as a gateway.
With the "Power Electronics meets AUTOSAR" project, the two companies are jointly taking another important step toward intelligent networking in vehicles of the future and are actively helping to define the standards of tomorrow.
Existing and future customers will benefit equally from the cooperation between Deutronic Elektronik GmbH and b-plus automotive GmbH. Together, they strive for customer-optimized solutions and thus always ensure the feasibility of innovative concepts and developments. Driven by technological evolutions and revolutions respectively, two companies and an associated concept finally become a project of the future.