An electronic control unit (ECU), also known as an electronic control module (ECM), is an embedded system in automotive electronics that controls one or more of the electrical systems or subsystems in a vehicle.
A direct-shift gearbox, commonly abbreviated to DSG, is an electronically-controlled, dual-clutch, multiple-shaft, automatic gearbox, in either a transaxle or traditional transmission layout, with automated clutch operation, and with fully-automatic or semi-manual gear selection. The first dual-clutch transmissions were derived from Porsche in-house development for the Porsche 962 in the 1980s.
On-board diagnostics (OBD) is an automotive term referring to a vehicle's self-diagnostic and reporting capability. OBD systems give the vehicle owner or repair technician access to the status of the various vehicle sub-systems. The amount of diagnostic information available via OBD has varied widely since its introduction in the early 1980s versions of on-board vehicle computers. Early versions of OBD would simply illuminate a malfunction indicator light or "idiot light" if a problem was detected but would not provide any information as to the nature of the problem. Modern OBD implementations use a standardized digital communications port to provide real-time data in addition to a standardized series of diagnostic trouble codes, or DTCs, which allow a person to rapidly identify and remedy malfunctions within the vehicle.
AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture (AUTOSAR) is a global development partnership of automotive interested parties founded in 2003. It pursues the objective to create and establish an open and standardized software architecture for automotive electronic control units (ECUs). Goals include the scalability to different vehicle and platform variants, transferability of software, the consideration of availability and safety requirements, a collaboration between various partners, sustainable use of natural resources, and maintainability during the whole product lifecycle.
OBD-II PIDs are codes used to request data from a vehicle, used as a diagnostic tool.
ETKA is the official electronic parts catalogue (EPC) for Volkswagen Group motor vehicles. Launched in 1989, ETKA superseded the older parts books and microfilm-based catalogues. ETKA is an abbreviation from the German: Elektronischer Teilekatalog. It is produced for Volkswagen AG by the Munich-based specialist automotive industry information systems software publisher LexCom Informationssysteme GmbH. As of July 2019 the latest release of the ETKA software is ETKA 8.2.
The Digifant engine management system is an electronic engine control unit (ECU), which monitors and controls the fuel injection and ignition systems in petrol engines, designed by Volkswagen Group, in cooperation with Robert Bosch GmbH.
Assembly Line Diagnostic Link or ALDL is a proprietary on-board diagnostics system developed by General Motors before the standardization of OBD-2. It was previously called Assembly Line Communications Link or ALCL. The two terms are used interchangeably.
APR LLC is an American automotive engineering and motorsport company that offers aftermarket performance products for cars built by the Volkswagen Group, including Audi, Porsche, SEAT, Škoda and Volkswagen. Audi Performance & Racing was founded in 1997 by Brett Augsburger and Stephen Hooks, automotive engineers looking to offer aftermarket upgrades for Volkswagen Auto Group cars. Their first product was an ECU software upgrade for the 1997 Audi A4 1.8T, but the company soon expanded its product line to include exhaust and turbo systems. APR engine tuning products use proprietary software for reading and writing to Bosch Motronic engine control units.
Association for Standardization of Automation and Measuring Systems or ASAM is an incorporated association under German law. Its members are primarily international car manufacturers, suppliers and engineering service providers from the automotive industry. The association coordinates the development of technical standards, which are developed by working groups composed of experts from its member companies. ASAM pursues the vision that the tools of a development process chain can be freely interconnected and allow a seamless exchange of data. The standards define protocols, data models, file formats and application programming interfaces (APIs) for the use in the development and testing of automotive electronic control units. A large amount of popular tools in the areas of simulation, measurement, calibration and test automation are compliant to ASAM standards. Compliance shall guarantee interoperability of tools from different vendors, allow data exchange without the need for converters, and facilitate the exchange of unambiguous specification between customers and suppliers.
Vector Informatik develops software tools and components for networking of electronic systems based on the serial bus systems CAN, LIN, FlexRay, MOST, Ethernet, AFDX, ARINC 429, and SAE J1708 as well as on CAN-based protocols such as SAE J1939, SAE J1587, ISO 11783, NMEA 2000, ARINC 825, CANaerospace, CANopen and more. The headquarters of the company Vector Informatik GmbH is in Stuttgart, Germany. Subsidiaries include Braunschweig, Munich, Hamburg, Regensburg along with international subsidiaries in Brazil, China, France, Italy, England, India, Japan, South Korea, Austria, Sweden, and the United States. Vector Informatik also includes Vector Consulting Services GmbH, a consultation firm specializing in optimization of technical product development. Altogether, these companies are referred to as the Vector Group.
ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited is the wholly owned Indian subsidiary of German automotive manufacturing company Volkswagen Group.
OBDuino is an open source trip computer design based on the Arduino platform. An OBDuino may be assembled and customised by an electronics hobbyist; it displays information such as instantaneous fuel economy, engine tuning parameters etc. on an LCD.
CANape is a software tool from Vector Informatik. This development software, widely used by OEMs and ECU suppliers of automotive industries is used to calibrate algorithms in ECUs at runtime.
The Lucas 14CUX is an automotive electronic fuel injection system developed by Lucas Industries and fitted to the Rover V8 engine in Land Rover vehicles between 1990 and 1995. The system was also paired with the Rover V8 by a number of low-volume manufacturers such as TVR, Marcos, Ginetta, and Morgan.
INCA is a measurement, calibration and diagnostic software published by ETAS. With its large installation base in the auto industry, this development software is deployed during all phases of the development of electronic control units (ECUs) and ECU software programs for measuring, calibration, diagnostics and programming.
Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS) is a diagnostic communication protocol used in electronic control units (ECUs) within automotive electronics, which is specified in the ISO 14229-1. It is derived from ISO 14230-3 (KWP2000) and the now obsolete ISO 15765-3. 'Unified' in this context means that it is an international and not a company-specific standard. By now this communication protocol is used in all new ECUs made by Tier 1 suppliers of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and is incorporated into other standards, such as AUTOSAR. The ECUs in modern vehicles control nearly all functions, including electronic fuel injection (EFI), engine control, the transmission, anti-lock braking system, door locks, braking, window operation, and more.
Audi Navigation Plus is an in-car media and navigation system developed by Audi. Unlike the Audi Multi Media Interface, it can not control climate, convenience, suspension or engine settings. Audi Navigation Plus units were available mostly as an optional equipment instead of standard stereo systems.
ECU-TEST is a software tool developed by TraceTronic GmbH, based in Dresden, Germany, for test and validation of embedded systems. Since the first release of ECU-TEST in 2003, the software is used as standard tool in the development of automotive ECUs and increasingly in the development of heavy machinery as well as in factory automation. The development of the software started within a research project on systematic testing of control units and laid the foundation for the spin-off of TraceTronic GmbH from TU Dresden. ECU-TEST aims at the specification, implementation, documentation, execution and assessment of test cases. Owing to various test automation methods, the tool ensures an efficient implementation of all necessary activities for the creation, execution and assessment of test cases. Many other companies have developed their own ECU test device such as Nitro mechatronics in Turkey
