Topic outline
-
-
Please note: This course is currently only available in English.
The XCP protocol is used for measuring and calibrating ECUs (reading and writing data from the internal memory). XCP was designed to offer measurement data acquisition with minimal slave resource consumption not limited to a specific transport layer. It can be used in CAN, Ethernet, Flexray networks.
-
-
-
-
XCP requests, like the SHORT_UPLOAD command, can be used to read specific cells of the internal memory of an ECU. These commands will be used to measure signals directly from the internal memory, as you will learn in the second chapter. On the other hand, data can also be written back into the internal memory, e.g. by using a DOWNLOAD command.
XCP connections are point-to-point connections between a Master (e.g. a measurement and calibration tool like CANape) and a Slave (the XCP driver of an ECU). Communication is always established by the Master. The Master will send a XCP command inside the Data Field of a transport layer frame of the existing network. The type of command is transferred in the first byte of the XCP message as a Package Identifier (PID). The following bytes of the message contain information needed by the slave to execute the command. E.g. an address and the number of memory cells to be read out by the slave. The XCP slave answers either with a positive response or a negative response. A positive response may contain additional data, e.g. the requested information. A negative response will carry an error code.
The PIDs and structure of XCP commands and their responses are described in ASAM’s specification of the XCP protocol. The protocol also describes the structure of XCP frames in a CAN, a FlexRay, a Ethernet network etc. Measurement and calibration tasks will be implemented using the same XCP commands in different transport layers. Simply the transport layer frames carrying the corresponding XCP commands will change.
In the case of XCP on CAN, each Master-Slave-pair will communicate with a fixed set of IDs, e.g. CANape will use the CAN-ID 200 and the ECU the CAN-ID 201 for their XCP communication. In case a second Master-Slave-pair exists, a different set of fixed CAN-IDs will be used.
In the next chapter you will learn about how XCP commands are used to provide cyclical measurement modes.
-
-
The Polling mode is implemented using SHORT_UPLOAD or UPLOAD commands. Each requested signal will be read from the ECU’s memory using a separate command. XCP commands are always processed sequentially meaning that first a command has to be processed and acknowledged before a following command can be send by the Master.
As a consequence, it is not possible to measure several signals exactly at the same time using the Polling mode. Signals are measured asynchronously with a time delay in between.
Measuring many signals in the Polling mode will lead to a significantly high bus load, since at least two XCP messages are needed in each cycle per measured signal.
In conclusion, the Polling mode is only suited for measuring less-dynamic signals at lower measurement rates, e.g. temperature variables. If you are wondering in which other scenarios the Polling mode turns out to be useful, feel free to ask this question the trainer of your upcoming CANape training.
In order to measure signals synchronized – meaning measured exactly at the same time, the DAQ mode has to be used. In the next chapter, you will learn about this second, more elaborate measurement mode.
-
-
The DAQ mode is implemented using XCP events added to the software of an ECU. Each XCP event implements a single DAQ measurement mode. Since the XCP event will be called cyclically at a fixed rate in the ECU’s software, the corresponding DAQ measurement mode will also have a fixed rate.
Once a XCP event is called, data will be measured – synchronously – and sent to the XCP master. Therefore, during the measurement the XCP master will no longer need to request any data. Only the XCP slave will sent XCP messages. This leads to a significantly lower busload compared to the polling mode.
Signals should always be measured using a DAQ mode measuring at the same rate as the requested signals are updated in the ECU. Not at a slower rate (we will miss data), nor at a faster rate (we will create additional busload without getting any more information). Therefore, it is important to find out about the perfect DAQ measurement mode of your signals prior to your measurement.
Besides cyclic XCP events (events called e.g. each 20 ms), also acyclic XCP events can be implemented. These XCP events will be triggered once a certain condition (e.g. shaftcrank reaches a certain position) is fulfilled. They can be used for measuring signals which are updated in the ECU on the same conditions.
If you are wondering about the best way how to store the information which signal shall be measured using which DAQ measurement mode, the trainer of your upcoming CANape training will know the answer.
-
-
A DAQ measurement is always limited by the available bandwidth of the existing transport layer. In case of a CAN network (XCP on CAN), depending on your measurement task, this can be a very limiting factor. Also, the computing power assigned to your XCP slave, will limit the measurement rates and therefore the performance of your measurement.
With a Vector VX1000 system data throughput of several 100 Mbyte/s and measurement rates faster than 10 µs will be possible.
For more information on our VX1000 solutions, please have a look at our Vector Product Homepage or contact our Vector Support.
-