Methods and systems for virtualization and abstraction of automotive electronic control systems

A system for virtualizing an electronic control system, ECS, comprising:

• a signal abstraction module configured to abstract signals in ECS components, comprising categorizing said signals into categorized groups, including analog signals group and digital signals group, thereby facilitating distinct processing paths for different signal groups;
• a standardized interface module configured to encapsulate peripheral models with respective ECS components, each peripheral model comprising interfaces that correspond to respective interfaces of the respective ECS component, each interface of the peripheral model being associated with a signal, which is an analog signal or a digital signal, an input signal or an output signal, matching an interface signal of the respective ECS component;
• a signal operations module configured to obtain, for simulating signal processing between the peripheral models, signal operations that represent signal processing between the respective ECS components, said signal operations including logical operations for the digital signals, and mathematical operations for the analog signals, thereby providing a unified framework for signal manipulation;
• a signal evaluation module configured to use said evaluation of the signal processing to identify malfunctioning ECS components;
• and
• a malfunction detection module configured to use said evaluation of the signal processing to identify malfunctions of the ECS components;
• and adapt the malfunctioning ECS component to function properly, ensuring continuous and reliable operation of the ECS.

An apparatus comprising:

• one or more interfaces for communication;
• a memory;
• and
• a data processing circuit configured to carry out a method for virtualizing an electronic control system, ECS, the method comprising:
• abstracting technical details of signals in ECS components, comprising categorizing said signals into groups, including analog signals group and digital signals group, thereby facilitating distinct processing paths for different signal groups,
• obtaining peripheral models associated with respective ECS components, each peripheral model comprising interfaces that correspond to respective interfaces of the respective ECS component, each interface of the peripheral model being associated with a signal, which is an analog signal or a digital signal, an input signal or an output signal, matching an interface signal of the respective ECS component,
• obtaining, for simulating signal processing between the peripheral models, signal operations that represent signal processing between the respective ECS component, said signal operations including logical operations for the digital signals, and mathematical operations for the analog signals,
• executing the signal operations to evaluate the signal processing between the ECS components,
• using said evaluation of the signal processing to identify malfunctions of one or more of the ECS components, and
• adapting the malfunctioning ECS components to function properly, thereby ensuring continuous and reliable operation of the ECS.