DoIP Protocol and PC-Based Diagnostic Tool: Enabling Vehicle Diagnostics for an Automotive Tier-1

About the Customer

Our customer is a prominent automotive Tier-1 supplier, renowned for their commitment to quality and innovation in the automotive sector. The customer specializes in developing and delivering advanced electronic control units (ECUs) for various automotive manufacturers.

Business Challenge

The automotive industry demands robust and reliable vehicle diagnostics and ECU reprogramming capabilities to ensure the safety, performance, and compliance of vehicles.

Our customer faced the challenge of implementing these critical features across their ECUs for a new program. Additionally, they required a PC-based diagnostic tool to perform comprehensive vehicle diagnostics efficiently.

The main hurdles included:

• Identifying and integrating a reliable and proven DoIP (Diagnostics over Internet Protocol) protocol.
• Implementing the UDS (Unified Diagnostic Services) protocol.
• Developing a Bootloader over DoIP for secure and efficient ECU reprogramming.
• Delivering a PC-based diagnostic tool that could be seamlessly integrated with the customer’s existing platform.

Embitel’s Solution

To address the customer’s challenges, Embitel provided a tailored solution, which included the following components:

• Static DoIP Server and Client Protocol Stack: Delivered in a library format, this stack was designed to meet the specific requirements of the customer’s platform. It ensured reliable communication and diagnostics over IP, enabling efficient vehicle diagnostics and ECU reprogramming.
• UDS Service Configuration: Customized as per industry standards, the UDS protocol was implemented to provide comprehensive diagnostic services across various ECUs. The required UDS services were configured.
• DoIP Diagnostic Tool Development: A diagnostic tool was developed using Qt C++ to ensure cross-platform compatibility. This tool enabled vehicle diagnostics based on DoIP. Provided in source code format, and also compiled into an executable (.exe) format, this library allowed seamless integration with the customer’s existing diagnostic platform. It facilitated vehicle diagnostics and ECU reprogramming over DoIP.
• DoIP-Based Bootloader: A specialized bootloader was developed to handle ECU reprogramming over DoIP. This bootloader ensured secure and efficient reprogramming, meeting the stringent requirements of automotive safety standards.
• Automated Testing: Embitel implemented automated testing tools and methods, which significantly reduced the time required for testing while enhancing the reliability of the solution. This included both unit testing and functional testing, ensuring that the final product met all quality and performance benchmarks.
• Unit Test and Functional Testing Reports: Comprehensive reports were provided to the customer, detailing the results of the testing phases and confirming the robustness of the solution.

Embitel’s Impact

Embitel’s solution had a significant impact on the customer’s project timeline and overall efficiency:

• The entire solution was delivered within 8 weeks, saving the customer 50% of the time they would have otherwise required.
• The integration of a ready-to-integrate DoIP protocol and a user-friendly diagnostic tool enhanced the efficiency of vehicle diagnostics and ECU reprogramming, contributing to faster time-to-market for the customer’s product.

Tools and Technologies

• Ethernet: Used for testing the DoIP stack and ensuring that it met all communication and diagnostic requirements.
• Packet Injector: A validation tool used for testing various use cases, ensuring that the DoIP and UDS protocols functioned correctly under all conditions.
• Linux Environment (X64 Architecture): The development environment that provided the necessary platform for building and testing the solution.