ASCET

ASCET
Basic data
developer	ETAS
Current  version	7.4.0  (November 2018)
operating system	Windows
category	Integrated development environment , control technology , simulation
License	proprietary
German speaking	No
www.etas.com/ascet

ASCET ( A dvanced S imulation and C ontrol E ngineering T ool , formerly ASCET-SD ) of ETAS is a product family for the model-based development of embedded automotive software . In contrast to Simulink , where the focus is on the easy-to-run simulation and code generation is possible, with ASCET code generation is in the foreground. As a development tool for ECUs - Software will predominantly by function and software developers of automotive manufacturers and their suppliers used embedded software for control functions and control algorithms to develop. Such control units are then later responsible for functions in the vehicle such as controlling or regulating internal combustion engines or hybrid drives , automatic transmissions , anti-lock braking systems (ABS), driving stability systems (ESP), window regulators , sunroofs , windshield wipers, etc.

Fields of application

ASCET is mainly used in the areas of

• model-based software development for embedded automotive software ,
• PC-based simulation of control unit functions,
• Rapid prototyping of control unit functions with real-time behavior in the laboratory or vehicle,
• automatic code generation for control units in series quality.

The motivation for using model-based development tools is the hope of achieving shorter development times and less effort, higher software quality and more efficient ECU code, which, according to the manufacturer, is often better than handwritten code these days.

Essential characteristics of ASCET are

• Support of relevant standards ( AUTOSAR , ASAM , MSR , OSEK , XML , MISRA-C etc.),
• Integration in automotive development processes and tool environments ,
• automatic generation of control unit documentation ,
• Support of distributed development and know-how protection (" IP protection "),
• Model transformation from and to Matlab / Simulink and UML ,
• processor-optimized C code generation and
• Compatibility with the AUTOSAR standard.
• Software configuration management connection to Subversion and systems with MSSCCI interface (ASCET-SCM)

Model-based development

ASCET offers the following graphic and textual formalisms for model specification :

• Block diagrams for signal flow-oriented modeling,
• extended state machines for control flow-oriented modeling, similar to statecharts ,
• ESDL (Embedded Systems Description Language), a Java- like language for modeling on a physical level,
• C code , especially for hardware-related functionality,
• extended truth tables ,
• RTOS configurator, for specifying the execution behavior over time ,
• Structure views for the model hierarchy ,
• Data and implementation editors for the model components and
• CT blocks (Continuous time) for time-continuous modeling of differential equations for the physical environment.

Serial code generation

As the first code generator in the automotive sector, ASCET was certified in 2002 in accordance with the IEC 61508: 1997 ( SIL 3 ) standard for use in the development of safety-critical systems (e.g. ABS, ESP, AFS ( active steering )). In 2010, in addition to the newly issued IEC 61508: 2010 ( SIL 3 ) , ASCET was also certified in accordance with the ISO / DIS 26262: 2009 ( ASIL D ) standard, which has now been specially created for the automotive sector . The generated code corresponds to the standard for MISRA-C , an automotive guideline for the creation of secure C code. According to the company, the number of control units that contain serial code generated using ASCET is over 60 million.

Use in series projects

The first use of ASCET in the series development of control unit software in the automotive industry took place in the early 1990s in projects of the parent company Robert Bosch (e.g. Motronic ). More recent series developments carried out with the help of ASCET include projects in the areas of engine management , driving dynamics (ABS, ESP), transmission management or comfort electronics, for example, the active steering (AFS) from BMW , the transmission management of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 or the engine control for the BMW hydrogen vehicle H2R .

Web links

• Manufacturer's product information
• Formal verification of ASCET models as part of the development of active steering (PDF; 925 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Conference article ( Memento of the original from June 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 253 kB) from 2005 
2. ↑ Company information ( Memento of the original from September 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from 2011 
3. ↑ MISRA-C article (PDF; 84 kB) in ETAS RealTimes 1/2007
4. ↑ Company information (PDF; 913 kB) from September 2008
5. ↑ Conference article from 1994
6. ↑ Article by Knorr-Bremse in AutomotiveElectronics 2001
7. ↑ Formal verification of ASCET models as part of the development of active steering. (PDF; 55.74 kB) Archived from the original on June 11, 2007 ; Retrieved on December 26, 2013 (conference article on the occasion of the Society for Computer Science Annual Conference 2003). 
8. ↑ News article ( Memento of the original from April 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in ATZonline from 2004