By means of ACT you can add a data logging functionality to your configuration. The logger bus is a “logical” bus within ACT which only allows to receive data.

Any signal within the configuration – CAN (FD), LIN, FlexRay signal/frames, UserCode, MATLAB/Simulink, etc. – can be mapped via drag & drop to the logger bus and can then be recorded on SD Card or USB mass storage device for later analysis. The logger allows to:

• record your data in CSV, ASC, BLF or MDF format
• use multiple recording groups to group the data which belongs to each other

• use trigger signals to decide what is recorded when
• use a large ring buffer system to also record data “before” a certain trigger occurs
• decide whether you record event triggered, cyclically or upon a signal change
• use the analog/digital I/O’s to have a manual triggering
• use the logger functionality alone or in combination with every other functionality being executed in parallel on the CANnector or FRC-EP series device
• access the logger via websockets in a browser

The trigger is a further logical bus which can be added to the ACT configuration. When added, every signal within the configuration can be mapped to the trigger bus by means of the drag & drop concept and being used as input signal. The trigger engine can be designed in a graphical manner. Several functional blocks can be used:

• Timer
• Counter
• Thresholds
• Flip-flops
• Logical combinations

By connecting these blocks, you are enabled to define a trigger logic which is then resulting in trigger signals as output of the trigger engine. These outputs are normal signals like any other signal in the configuration. They can be used to:

• Trigger the data logger
• Drive the digital outputs of the CANnector or FRC-EP series device
• Trigger the transmission of a certain message
• Steer a binary signal on any physical bus system
• Steer a certain functionality in your UserCode or MATLAB/Simulink model

You need to connect your CAN (FD), FlexRay or LIN based system to modern industrial communication? No problem, just choose a CANnector or FRC-EP series device with an EtherCAT extension. Inside ACT you can then use the easy drag & drop concept to generate mappings from/to the EtherCAT slave. ACT also automatically generates a corresponding ESI file which can be used together with any capable EtherCAT master to comfortable configure your EtherCAT network.

Once connected to EtherCAT, all data – coming from the CAN (FD), Flexray or LIN bus system or from any other EtherCAT based sensor or IO device – is distributed synchronized and on the same communication system to your SPS or PC controlling the test execution.

Analog / Digital IO

The FRC-EP and CANnector devices do also provide analog or digital I/O ports. ACT allows to use these signals like any other signal in your configuration.

After configuration of data direction, range of values, conversion rules and unit, the IOs can be easily mapped via drag & drop from/to any other bus system.

Virtual bus

By means of ACT you can add the virtual bus to your configuration. The virtual bus can be used to define your own “variables” (environment variables) in the configuration. These variables can be mapped via the drag & drop concept to/from any other bus system. This allows – for example – to calculate such a variable by your C user code module and then use it in any other bus system.

DBC-Generator

One functionality of the gateway is to generate DBC-Files based on the mapping of the different physical and logical buses – for CAN, CAN FD, Generic Ethernet, virtual CANonEthernet, CAN@net

FDX

XCPonEthernt is too complicated for you? No problem, you can also use the much easier Fast Data Exchange protocol to connect third party software solutions with the CANnector or FRC-EP series device. With ACT, all needed signals are mapped via the drag & drop concept from/to the FDX bus system. ACT is automatically generating the corresponding XML description file for the FDX bus. This XML file can be imported into your software solution and you are ready to read or send data.

You want to reduce cabling or to bridge large distances? No problem, our Generic Ethernet protocol is solving this problem. Generic Ethernet is a virtual CAN(FD), FlexRay or LIN bus system on Ethernet. By means of ACT you can map the desired data from/to the Generic Ethernet bus system.

The data is then distributed via Ethernet and can be “turned back” to the physical protocols by using a counter CANnector or FRC-EP series device. This is then the classical range extender.

In case that you intend to connect the data stream directly to a PC, you can use our VCI driver to use the device as a remote PC interface.

Up  to 16 of such „virtual “ buses can be configured. Why? You can use this to distribute the desired data not to one but up to 16 different IP addresses or ports. So you can create your own Ethernet based communication network and just use CAN(FD), FlexRay or LIN protocols on the “last mile”.

The Generic Ethernet protocol allows also the combination of Ixxat CAN@net devices with CANnector or FRC-EP series devices. Not having enough CAN ports – no problem just use this possibility to extend to up to 136 CAN / 72 CAN FD interfaces.

No Windows PC allowing the usage of the VCI driver – no problem, the Generic Ethernet protocol is very easy to be implemented on any target operating system. In the easiest case you can just use a terminal program to send and receive the data. 

You need to add specific manipulation functionality? No problem, ACT allows the integration of such functions into the overall configuration. The key feature is the C user-code module. If wanted, ACT automatically generates a C code skeleton containing all signals or frames which shall be exchanged. This C module already provides the API to the rest of the system and the signal transformation from raw to physical signal value dependent on the definitions within the underlying bus description files. The only thing you need to do is to add your desired functionality on signal or frame basis, event driven or cyclically to the C code skeleton. This is done within our integrated development tool. The executable module is automatically generated out of your C code and integrated into the overall configuration being executed standalone on the CANnector or FRC-EP series device.

Done some mistakes during your coding? No problem, you can use the integrated remote debugging feature to identify the root cause of the problem, correct it and retest it without stopping the rest of the running configuration on the device.

You are tired to write C code or do already have a functional model based on MATLAB/Simulink? No problem, ACT allows the integration of such models into the overall configuration. If wanted, ACT automatically generates a base model containing all signals which shall be exchanged. This base model contains the API to the rest of the system and the signal transformation from raw to physical signal value dependent on the definitions within the underlying bus description files.

The only thing you need to do is to design your desired functions with MATLAB/Simulink or to copy & paste the already existing model into the base model. At the end, the executable module is automatically generated out of this model and integrated into the overall configuration being executed standalone on the CANnector or FRC-EP series device.

IxAdmin

IxAdmin is the PC based administration tool (free of charge) for the FRC-EP Series and CANnector platform which can be connected via USB, Ethernet or WLAN (Wi-Fi).

• Up-/download of configurations
• Management of multiple configurations on the device (up to 200)
• Execution of device updates
• Update firmware/board support package (BSP) of the FRC-EP/CANnector
• Runtime license management
• General settings
• Access to the web-based dashboard
• Access to logger files
• Also available as command line tool for Windows and as IxAdmin Light for Linux

Vehicle Editor

Basis for most solutions are bus description files in CANdB, DBC, LDF, FIBEX or AUTOSAR-XML format. Normally, the descriptions contain a lot of information, but are missing important details like CRC/Checksum or Alive-Counter Algorithms which are needed to generate – for example – a Residual Bus Simulation.

The Vehicle Editor allows to create a complete vehicle description database containing all information needed. In case of changes during the life cycle of your testing application (e.g. new vehicle integration levels), a new variant of such a vehicle description database can be created which allows then an easy porting of existing Residual Bus or Gateway Configurations. This saves time and reduces the risk of introducing errors into already verified testing configurations.

Development tool (C User Code) 

Configurations created by ACT may easily solve many but not all problems. In such a case a configuration can be extended by own C user code. Eclipse is used as integrated development environment and helps you to get your work done. ACT generates a C user code template which already contains the API to connect your functions to the rest of the system. You just need to use Eclipse to add your functions to the template. The built-in cross compiler integrates your code as separate module into the configuration which is executed on the CANnector or FRC-EP series device. Made some mistakes – no worries. The Eclipse based Remote High Level Debugger can be used to debug your code without impacting the rest of the configuration. Once finished, your code is a integrated part of the overall configuration which is executed stand-alone.