autonomous driving cars

New research project granted for R&D at RA

Safe perception of the environment is a crucial prerequisite for automated driving. The sensors and processing chains used must meet the highest requirements for reliability, precision and realism. There are currently no approaches for effective and efficient validation of sensors and processing chains. The RepliCar joint project closes this gap: The project goal is to build a reference system with integrated high-resolution radar, camera, lidar, GNSS and inertial sensors and to integrate it into a test vehicle.

This reference sensor system will be several years ahead of today’s series sensor system. The integration of particularly high-resolution sensors and particularly powerful sensor data fusion for object recognition enable the determination of a highly accurate representation of reality, a so-called “ground truth”. This is the basis for validating sensors for automated driving.

The consortium leader is ANavS GmbH, Munich. They also develop sensor data fusion to determine the “ground truth” for self-localization and environment perception. The Institute for High Frequency Technology and Electronics (IHE) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences (HSO) and Freudenberg FST GmbH based in Weinheim are developing a high-precision radar system. This is an essential element in the reference system for environmental perception and is described at intervals by the Institute for Automatic Control Systems (IRS) at KIT.

The project partners AKKA Industry Consulting GmbH, Sindelfingen, the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, Karlsruhe, the IAVF Antriebstechnik GmbH, Karlsruhe, the IPG Automotive GmbH, Karlsruhe, and the GTÜ Society for Technical Monitoring mbH, Stuttgart, define all steps from simulative validation to Release and implement the sensors and functions.

The individual innovations in the validation and testing process for series sensors include artificial intelligence methods for analyzing recorded scenarios, a “sensor in the loop” test bench, integration into existing simulation tools and a modular verification and validation process.

The other partners HighQSoft GmbH, Idstein, and RA Consulting GmbH, Bruchsal, are building a powerful data platform for managing, processing and providing the reference data. The driving demonstrator is realized by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart. This records initial data and uses it for the release process of an exemplary perception system.

The project runs from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026.

BMWi_Logo_2021

 

tractor in action on field

COMVEC in Schaumburg IL/USA

COMVEC is an information and networking forum aimed at keeping commercial vehicle professionals up to date on important topics such as electrification, ADAS development, advances in powertrains, emissions reduction efforts, digital and software innovations, and much more.

Attending for the first time as an exhibitor, we will present our software tools suitable for commercial vehicle diagnostics at the accompanying exhibition. The SAE-J1939 and SAE-J1979 diagnostic protocols used in commercial vehicle diagnostics have been supported by our software tools Silver Scan-Tool™, DiagRA® D and the simulation tool DiagRA® S for a very long time and are consequently used by many vehicle OEMs, engine manufacturers, transmission manufacturers and manufacturers of other components used in commercial vehicles and their development partners.

For heavy truck operators moving their vehicles in California, our Silver Snap-Tool is an important tool. It can be used to collect California legislature-defined scopes of OBD data from vehicles and transmit it securely to a CARB-operated server. Next year, this OBD data transmission will become mandatory for many heavy-duty vehicles in California, and in 2023 it may be optional as a replacement for emissions testing. Read more about the Clean Truck Check program and which vehicles it applies to here.

Interested parties, as well as active users, are cordially invited to visit us at our exhibition booth and ask questions or provide information on functionalities that will be needed in the future. You are welcome to contact us in advance. Please email us at info@rac.de.

For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://comvec.sae.org/

OBD-Symposium

OBD Symposium in Indianapolis IN/USA

The OBD Symposium will be held this year in Idianapolis from September 12-14. At the symposium, current topics on OBD legislation will be discussed and future plans will be debated. The symposium is thus an important opportunity for updating knowledge around OBD standardization and a place for intensive exchange for all participants from the automotive industry. Our products Silver Scan-Tool™, DiagRA® D and DiagRA® S are important OBD test and simulation tools used in automotive development.

RA Consulting will therefore participate in the conference both as a participant and as an exhibitor in order to be informed about the latest developments and to present our OBD software solutions to interested parties. In addition to the well-known products, our new software Silver Snap-Tool will also be on display. This solution is a CARB authorized tool to support California’s Clean Truck Check program (CTC) and is suitable for transmitting OBD data from all trucks with engine model year 2013 and younger to CARB. The program combines periodic vehicle testing with other emissions monitoring methods and enhanced enforcement strategies to identify vehicles in need of emissions-related repairs and ensure that needed repairs are made.

Interested parties, as well as active users, are welcome to contact us at our exhibition booth to ask questions or provide guidance on functionality needed in the future. You are welcome to contact us in advance. Please email us at info@rac.de.

For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://www.sae.org/attend/obd-na

RA Consulting OSAR

OSAR Conference Riverside/CA, USA

For many years, the PEMS conference, now OSAR conference, has been a permanent fixture in our schedule. Represented by our US company RA Automotive Software Solutions, Inc. from Troy/MI, we exhibit our products from the fields of diagnostics and measurement/calibration at the accompanying exhibition.

As Silver Sponsor, we would like to make our contribution to the further optimization of portable exhaust gas measurement systems and the accompanying acquisition of diagnostic data and measured values. In addition to our well-known products Silver Scan-Tool, DiagRA® D and DiagRA® X we will also show our software Silver Snap-Tool.

This solution is the only tool authorized by CARB to support the California Heavy Duty Inspection and Maintenance program (HD/IM) and is suitable for transferring OBD data from any truck built in 2013 or later to CARB.

This data transmission is encrypted and secured via a cloud service application created by RAC. In the current Phase 1 of the program, this transmission can be used as an alternative to emissions testing. Identified, so-called high emitters are required to perform a transmission of OBD data in addition to the exhaust test after the repair has been completed on the exhaust system.

More information about the conference can be found via the following link: https://www.cert.ucr.edu/osar

OBD Symposium in Prague

After a longer break, the OBD Symposium Europe will again take place as an on-site event this year from March 14-16. The symposium is an important opportunity to update knowledge around OBD standardization and a place for intensive exchange for all participants from the automotive industry. Our products Silver Scan-Tool, DiagRA® D and DiagRA® S are important OBD test and simulation tools used in automotive development.

RA Consulting therefore participates in the symposium both as a participant and as an exhibitor in order to be brought up to date regarding the latest developments. In addition to the well-known products, we will present our new software Silver Snap-Tool. This solution is the only tool authorized by CARB to support the California Heavy Duty Inspection and Maintenance Programms (HD/IM) and is suitable for transmitting OBD data from any truck built in 2013 and later to CARB.

This data transmission is encrypted and secured via a cloud service application created by RAC. In the current Phase 1 of the program, this transmission can be used as an alternative to emissions testing. Identified, so-called high-emitters are required to carry out a transmission of OBD data in addition to the exhaust gas test after the repair has been carried out on the exhaust system.

Interested parties, as well as active users, are cordially invited to contact us at our exhibition booth and ask questions or provide information on functionalities that will be required in the future. You are welcome to contact us in advance. Please email us at info@rac.de.

For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://www.sae.org/attend/obd-europe

Official certification of our Silver Snap-Tool by CARB

Our new Silver Snap-Tool software has now received official approval from the California Air Resource Board, Heavy-Duty Inspection and Maintenance Unit. This allows RA Consulting to sell the tool to owners and fleet owners operating trucks in California. Sales will be made through RA Automotive Software Solutions, Inc, our Michigan/USA office.

The software will help truck owners complete California’s planned alternative submission process to the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP, Title 13, California Code of Regulations (CCR), Section 2193(f)) and the Heavy Duty Inspection and Maintenance Program (HD I/M, Title 13, CCR, Section 2196.3(a)(3)).

To do this, Silver Snap-Tool reads OBD data from vehicles using SAE J1979 and SAE J1939 protocols, encrypts it, and sends it to the CARB-operated receiving server via a RA access server. CARB then analyzes the data. In close coordination with CARB, we have placed special emphasis on ease of use that avoids user error, on ensuring information security, and on encrypted data transmission and maximum protection against fraud attempts.

RA Consulting and RA Automotive Software Solutions will be exhibiting at the OBD Symposium from September 13-15, 2022 in Garden Grove, California. There we will also show the first official version of Silver Snap-Tool.

RA Online Userday 2022

Our RA Online Userday 2022 has come to a successful end.

We would like to thank all speakers for the exciting technical presentations and all participants for their participation.

We were able to present four exciting technical presentations with product highlights from the fields of measurement, calibration and diagnostics.

  • DiagRA® X – Usability rethought
    Presentation of the measurement and calibration software, current state of development, outlook
    Ingo Besenfelder, Team Leader Development DiagRA® X
    Hanamant Hirekurbar, Technical Sales
  • IAV Macara – Efficiency gain in the application through data comparison
    Presentation of the software for editing, validating and visualizing application parameters
    Kai-Niclas Henne, Product Manager Software, TX-X Products
    IAV GmbH Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr
  • DiagRA® Embedded – Diagnostics for data logging and telematics
    The future of a modular platform-independent diagnostic solution
    Andreas Hege, Chief Operating Officer
  • DiagRA® D and Silver Scan-Tool™ – Diagnosis always up to date with legislation
    Current diagnostic topics, important new functionalities and improvements
    Peter Stoß, Director Automotive Products

For all those who could not attend the presentations live or would like to watch them again, we have made the presentations of DiagRA® X by Ingo Besenfelder and Hanamant Hirekurbar, DiagRA® Embedded by Andreas Hege and DiagRA® D & Silver Scan-Tool™ by Peter Stoß available for you online.

We are already looking forward to seeing you again as a participant at our RA (Online) Userday 2023.

 

DiagRA® X  – Usability rethought
Presentation of the measurement and calibration software, current state of development, outlook
Ingo Besenfelder, Team Leader Development DiagRA® X
Hanamant Hirekurbar, Technical Sales

Here you can find more about our product DiagRA® X the solution for measurement and calibration.

 

DiagRA® Embedded – Diagnostics for data logging and telematics
The future of a modular platform-independent diagnostic solution
Andreas Hege, Chief Operating Officer

Here you can find more about our product DiagRA® Embedded our solution for location-independent diagnostics and flashing.easurement and calibration.

 

DiagRA® D and Silver Scan-Tool™ – Diagnosis always up to date with legislation
Current diagnostic topics, important new functionalities and improvements
Peter Stoß, Director Automotive Products

Here you can find more about our products DiagRA® D the diagnostics solution for automotive control units and Silver Scan-Tool™ the software solution for all OBD diagnostics.

DiagRA® X 1.10

Next Generation Measurement and Calibration Tool

DiagRA® X is an efficient, intuitive and powerful Windows software that provides a comprehensive solution for measurement tasks and calibration of electronic control units.

DiagRA® X is a fully integrated tool, providing, Fast Measurement, Smart Calibration, Flash Programming and Compact Calibration Data Management.

DiagRA® X is developed in compliance with ASAM standards and functional safety is ensured in accordance with ISO 26262.

DiagRA® X supports industry standard protocols and file formats.

  • Protocols: CAN, CAN FD, CCP, XCP on CAN/Ethernet, GPS, ASAP3
  • File formats: .A2L, .DBC, .HEX/S19, .DCM, .MDF4.x, .LAB many more…

DiagRA® X is compatible with a wide range of third-party interface hardware such as Kvaser, Intrepid, I+ME Actia, PassThru and many others. Very often customers can continue to use their existing interface hardware with DiagRA® X.

DiagRA® X is a user-friendly tool with a user interface based on a grid layout that can be highly customized to the user’s needs, e.g. with optimal display colors in a dark and a light display mode, multiple languages (EN, DE and CN), configurable visualizations and system settings tailored to the use cases.
An integrated data base management system provides smart and sparkling management of configurations.

What’s new in DiagRA® X Version 1.10?

  • Extended Virtual variables with extensive range of library functions
  • Modern development environment for virtual variables
  • Improved performance, fault tolerance and robustness
  • Revised user interfaces

Fast Measurement

  • Plug and Play source connectivity and instant data visualization
  • A modern and user-friendly way to organize your data
  • Rich set of configurable visualizers (Oscilloscope, Icons, Gauges, Tables…)
  • Multiple event-driven recorders that operate independently of each other
  • Live statistical analysis in oscilloscopes
  • High measurement data throughput (100 kHz)

Smart Calibration

  • Real time controller calibration
  • Integrated ASAP3 client for connectivity to automation/testbench systems
  • Smart and safe calibration visualizers (3D, 2D, Tables)
  • Graphical adjustment in the section views
  • Supports multiple working datasets

Flash Programming

  • ECU flash programming via CCP and XCP
  • Configurable UDS flash process with an additional included software

Compact Calibration Data Management

  • Easy-to-use onboard calibration data manager
  • Live comparison of calibration data and display of changes
  • Import and export of calibration data sets
  • Supports hex, s19 and dcm file formats

Powerful Data Analysis with DiagRA® X Viewer

  • DiagRA® X Viewer is a powerful data analysis tool included in the DiagRA® X license
  • DiagRA® X Viewer offers well defined and reusable configurations
  • New: Extended Virtual variables with extensive range of library functions
  • Swift analytical functions, multiple cursor types, event indications
  • Supports .MDF4.x, .MDF3.x, .dat, .csv, .lab, .xlsx, .txt file formats

Extended Virtual Variables in DiagRA X 1.10 with library functions, smart suggestion box.  

SmartLoad closing event

On October 26, 2021, the final event of the SmartLoad research project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, took place at KIT Karlsruhe.

The project partners explored a new reliable system architecture and vehicle design process for highly automated electric vehicles. Eight scientific and industrial partners from Baden-Württemberg contributed their expertise and benefited from close cooperation. [Source: Smartload]

As part of the project, the specification and execution of a scenario-based test using OTX and OSC 1.0 for the test and scenario description was carried out in collaboration with RWTH Aachen University with positive results. In particular, the result of this study was used as input for the ASAM TestStudyGroup. [Source: Smartload]

At the final event of the three-year project, the results were demonstrated live on a prototype.

 

Project partner:

Source: Smartload-Project http://www.smartload-project.de/

Automatic data set comparison and newly created data set with manual data transfer, quick filters

IAV Macara

All those who often have to compare application data sets know that this can be a tedious task. How nice it would be if one could simply load an A2L description file and several data set files into a software and then automatically compare them all with each other. If the result is then displayed clearly and you can easily focus on the variables of interest to you using strong filters, that would be a big win.
This is what IAV Macara does.

Automatic data set comparison and newly created data set with manual data transfer, quick filters

Automatic data set comparison and newly created data set with manual data transfer, quick filters

And IAV Macara can do much more. The user can merge data from several data sets into a new data set and also make changes here, i.e. edit individual values but also characteristic curves and maps and their interpolation points. Of course, this is done in compliance with the rules described in A2L, such as hard and soft limits or interpolation point monotony. Suitable editors and graphic displays help when changing values. The created data sets can then be exported in the formats DCM, CDFX or PaCo and also loaded again.

Data view map, hard limit exceeded from A2L

Data view map, hard limit exceeded from A2L

For the use of various data sources, the cloud functionality provides access to the file system and to interfaces, e.g. to AVL Creta and Eta’s INCA database. Interested? Then contact us via email at info@rac.de. RA Consulting is the exclusive reseller for IAV Macara.

Note: IAV Macara is currently only approved for use in the European Union.

Display result of plausibility check

Display result of plausibility check

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