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Abstract

This paper addresses the challenge of ensuring quality control for electronic control units (ECUs) in the automotive industry. Traditional hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems, used for software quality assurance, are costly and not always readily available, leading to potential delays in software verification and release. This paper investigates the factors causing these delays and proposes process task workflow optimization using a hybrid testing approach. This approach allows software developers to conduct early integration and system testing for embedded software, complementing the formal validation stage. To support this, the paper presents a novel piece of test equipment called TestBench, which utilizes inexpensive embedded hardware like the Arduino Mega2560, which can carry out the fundamental tasks needed to test the ECU. TestBench enables local testing, remote accessibility, and the monitoring of key parameters, including voltage current consumption, and the communication bus. It also facilitates fault injection for the evaluation of communication protocol robustness. By enabling earlier and more frequent testing, TestBench aims to enhance the quality of software developer outputs and the overall quality of ECU-embedded software. The system has the potential to significantly improve the testing process, making advanced testing capabilities more accessible and cost-effective for engineering teams and educational institutions.

Details

1009240
Title
Innovative Cost-Effective Embedded System to Enhance ECU Firmware Quality Through Remote Hybrid Testing in Automotive Domain
Author
Bogorin-Predescu Adrian 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Titu Stefan 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Titu Aurel Mihail 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Marcu, Dragos Florin 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Dragomir, Diana Cristina 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Dragomir Mihai 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Robotics, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei Street, 060042 Bucharest, Romania 
 Department of Surgical Oncology, The Oncology Institute “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta”, 34-36 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; [email protected], Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babes Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania 
 Industrial Engineering and Management Department, Faculty of Engineering, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 10 Victoriei Street, 550024 Sibiu, Romania 
 Engineering and Management of Obtaining Metallic Materials Department, Faculty of Material Science and Engineering, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 313 Splaiul Independentei Street, 060042 Bucharest, Romania; [email protected] 
 Department of Design Engineering and Robotics, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Robotics and Production Management, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 103-105 Muncii Boulevard, 400641 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; [email protected] (D.C.D.); [email protected] (M.D.) 
Publication title
Volume
15
Issue
23
First page
12736
Number of pages
28
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
Place of publication
Basel
Country of publication
Switzerland
Publication subject
e-ISSN
20763417
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
Document type
Journal Article
Publication history
 
 
Online publication date
2025-12-01
Milestone dates
2025-10-27 (Received); 2025-11-28 (Accepted)
Publication history
 
 
   First posting date
01 Dec 2025
ProQuest document ID
3280942739
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/innovative-cost-effective-embedded-system-enhance/docview/3280942739/se-2?accountid=208611
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.
Last updated
2025-12-10
Database
2 databases
  • Coronavirus Research Database
  • ProQuest One Academic