US-20260126486-A1 - MULTICAST-BASED TESTBENCH FOR DEVICE TESTING

US20260126486A1US 20260126486 A1US20260126486 A1US 20260126486A1US-20260126486-A1

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving the testing of electronic devices using adaptable interfaces. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a set of virtual electronic control units, receiving a set of interface devices connected to test devices, simulating wire harnesses where each wire harness contains a subset of virtual electronic control units and a subset of interface devices, both of which are configured to communicate therein based on a multicast protocol, and injecting a fault in a target wire harness affecting a test device connected to the subset of interface devices associated with the target wire harness in accordance with a multicast group assignment.

Inventors

Joshua Scott Smith
Sean S. Norris

Assignees

TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251219

Claims (20)

1 . An interface system, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing a control module, including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive a set of virtual electronic control units; receive a set of interface devices connected to test devices; simulate wire harnesses where each wire harness contains a subset of virtual electronic control units and a subset of interface devices, both of which are configured to communicate therein based on a multicast protocol; and inject a fault in a target wire harness affecting a test device connected to the subset of interface devices associated with the target wire harness in accordance with a multicast group assignment.
2 . The interface system of claim 1 , wherein the instruction to simulate the wire harnesses includes at least one wire harness where being configured to communicate therein based on the multicast protocol incorporates multiple multicast group assignments.
3 . The interface system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one wire harness incorporates multiple multicast group assignments into configuration information corresponding to at least one test device.
4 . The interface system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to simulate the wire harnesses include at least two wire harnesses being configured to communicate with a shared interface device using a shared multicast group assignment.
5 . The interface system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to simulate the wire harnesses includes at least two wire harnesses being configured to communicate with a shared interface device using different multicast group assignments.
6 . The interface system of claim 1 , wherein the instruction to inject the fault includes to apply a pre-determined function whose output is based on the multicast group assignment.
7 . The interface system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include to swap a failed test device with a replacement test device by changing multicast group assignments.
8 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive a set of virtual electronic control units; receive a set of interface devices connected to test devices; simulate wire harnesses where each wire harness contains a subset of virtual electronic control units and a subset of interface devices, both of which are configured to communicate therein based on a multicast protocol; and inject a fault in a target wire harness affecting a test device connected to the subset of interface devices associated with the target wire harness in accordance with a multicast group assignment.
9 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the instruction to simulate the wire harnesses includes at least one wire harness where being configured to communicate therein based on the multicast protocol incorporates multiple multicast group assignments.
10 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the at least one wire harness incorporates multiple multicast group assignments into configuration information corresponding to at least one test device.
11 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the instruction to simulate the wire harnesses includes at least two wire harnesses being configured to communicate with a shared interface device using a shared multicast group assignment.
12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the instruction to simulate the wire harnesses includes at least two wire harnesses being configured to communicate with a shared interface device using different multicast group assignments.
13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the instruction to inject the fault includes to apply a pre-determined function whose output is based on the multicast group assignment.
14 . A method, comprising: receiving a set of virtual electronic control units; receiving a set of interface devices connected to test devices; simulating wire harnesses where each wire harness contains a subset of virtual electronic control units and a subset of interface devices, both of which are configured to communicate therein based on a multicast protocol; and injecting a fault in a target wire harness affecting a test device connected to the subset of interface devices associated with the target wire harness in accordance with a multicast group assignment.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein simulating the wire harnesses includes at least one wire harness where being configured to communicate therein based on the multicast protocol incorporates multiple multicast group assignments.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one wire harness incorporates multiple multicast group assignments into configuration information corresponding to at least one test device.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein simulating the wire harnesses includes at least two wire harnesses being configured to communicate with a shared interface device using a shared multicast group assignment.
18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein simulating the wire harnesses includes at least two wire harnesses being configured to communicate with a shared interface device using different multicast group assignments.
19 . The method of claim 14 , wherein injecting the fault includes to apply a pre-determined function whose output is based on the multicast group assignment.
20 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising swapping a failed test device with a replacement test device by changing multicast group assignments.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/771,089, entitled “ADAPTABLE HARDWARE INTERFACE FOR DEVICE TESTING”, which was filed on Jul. 12, 2024, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The subject matter described herein relates, in general, to testing electronic devices and, more particularly, to an adaptable interface that provides access to devices under test in a configurable manner through multicast-based test networks. BACKGROUND Developers implement test benches to provide a controlled environment for developing software for new devices and testing that the new devices function as expected. In general, test benches are built on a per-device basis. As one example, in the context of vehicle electronic control units (ECUs), a test bench may include a custom wire harness that connects various different devices together while also providing additional connections for testing purposes. However, the uniqueness of these test benches requires institutional knowledge to effectively use them, thus limiting the ability for these benches to be shared between many developers and complicating access overall. Moreover, as the complexity of the device or arrangement of devices under test increases and/or testing requirements increase, the wiring harnesses also become more complex and difficult to build and maintain. Additionally, the increase in complexity also leads to increased costs for a test setup that is not reusable, thereby leading to further waste. SUMMARY Example systems and methods relate to testing electronic devices using an adaptable interface. As previously noted, test benches can be complex to implement because of various considerations, including the complexity of the device or devices being tested. This leads to increased costs and waste since these test benches are complex to implement and not typically reusable. Therefore, in at least one approach, an inventive system is disclosed that provides an adaptable interface and associated logic to improve the testing of electronic devices. For example, in at least one aspect, an interface device is comprised of a controller, a memory, a bridge, and a connector for supporting communication with a device under test (i.e., an electronic device). The electronic device may take many different forms, including a module with multiple die packages, a single die package, and so on. As described herein, the electronic device is generally an electronic control unit as may be used within a vehicle. It should be appreciated that while the present disclosure focuses on the context of a vehicle, the disclosed devices, systems, and methods are applicable to other contexts. In any case, consider that an electronic device, such as an ECU or multiple ECUs, is generally connected using a complex wiring harness when installed within a vehicle. The wiring harness may include a connector for each separate ECU with wiring therebetween. Moreover, within the context of testing, the wire harness may be further implemented to include diagnostic connectors for providing diagnostic signals. However, as noted previously, specifically designing a unique wiring harness for each different configuration of electronic devices that may need to be tested is complex. As such, the interface device resolves this issue by using the bridge to connect with multiple electronic devices under test, such as multiple different ECUs. The bridge connects to a respective electronic device via connector pins that may be separate pins of a device or arranged in a combined connector. The connector pins connect the bridge with an explicit connector port associated with the electronic device being tested (e.g., an ECU) or directly to pins of a die package or other electronic device (e.g., sensor). Consequently, the connector pins may be specific to the particular electronic device, but this is in place of a more complex harness that cannot be modified to different arrangements. Because the connector pins from the bridge to the electronic device is unique in each instance, the interface further includes a memory, which may be an EEPROM or similar type of non-volatile memory, that stores configuration information about the electronic device and other devices under test that are connected via connector pins to the bridge. The contents of the configuration information may vary by implementation but generally includes descriptive data identifying the electronic device (e.g., serial number or other identifier, version number, etc.) and a mapping of the connector pins. The mapping identifies the correlation of the pins of the electronic device with ports of the bridge on which the pins are connected and exposed for communication. Accordingly, a controller mediates access to the electronic device by communicating the configuration information so that a test server or other test administering device can access