Control unit simulation method, system, and program

A method implemented by a computer device for simulating a mechanism system controlled by a plurality of electronic control units operating at different processing rates, the method comprises the steps of:

• loading into a memory of the computer device a plurality of electronic control unit emulators operating at a variety of processing rates and a mechanism system simulator controlled by the computer device;
• receiving an input signal with an input time and giving an output signal with an output time by each electronic control unit emulator;
• receiving and storing each output signal with the output time from the plurality of electronic control unit emulators by a scheduler;
• determining by the scheduler whether the time received from a given electronic control unit emulator from the plurality of electronic control unit emulator modules is older than a previously recorded preceding time for the given electronic control unit emulator
• in response to time received being older, sending to the given electronic control unit emulator a message with a broadcast time and repeating the determining step, and
• in response to time received not being older, updating a determinate time with a latest preceding time received and releasing output older than the determinate time in order to synchronize the release of the output from each of the electronic control unit emulators operating at a variety of processing rates to a system emulator.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying a computer readable program code having computer readable instructions which, when implemented, cause a computer to carry out the steps of a method for simulating a mechanism system controlled by a plurality of electronic control units operating at different processing rates, the method comprising steps of:

• loading into a memory of the computer, a plurality of electronic control unit emulators operating at different processing rates and a mechanism system simulator controlled by the computer;
• receiving an input signal with an input time and giving an output signal with an output time by each electronic control unit emulator;
• receiving and storing each output signal with the output time from the plurality of electronic control unit emulators by a scheduler;
• determining by the scheduler whether the time received from a given electronic control unit emulator from the plurality of electronic control unit emulator modules is older than a previously recorded preceding time for the given electronic control unit emulator
• in response to time received being older, sending to the given electronic control unit emulator a message with a broadcast time and repeating the determining step, and
• in response to time received not being older, updating a determinate time with a latest preceding time received and releasing output older than the determinate time in order to synchronize the release of the output from each of the electronic control unit emulators operating at a variety of processing rates to a system emulator.