15 years of innovations in electronic networking

What started with the integration of CD changers into vehicles has evolved into complex mobile networks in just 15 years.

One of the companies working on electronic networking within the car and between the car and the outside world over that period is Telemotive. The company’s core competencies in engineering are bus systems, infotainment, connectivity, driver assistance, vehicle diagnostics, electromobility, and EMC. The services range from systems integration to technology consulting and hardware and software development.

In late 2015 Telemotive became one of the first manufacturers to present a data logger for MOST150 cPhy. According to the company, the blue PiraT2 5E MOST150 cPhy is a variant of the proven blue PiraT2 5E, Telemotive’s most versatile data logger. It records the MOST150 protocol via an electric coaxial line instead of the previous optical line and supports full duplex operation.

“Compared to optical lines, electrical connections are significantly less expensive, easier to manage and more flexible to install in the car,” said Markus Fischer, Board Member at Telemotive in a press statement. Other benefits of MOST150 cPhy include the bi-directional operation in duplex mode and the power supply that can be integrated in the coaxial cable. Telemotive has been a member of the MOST Cooperation for the past nine years.

The blue PiraT2 5E MOST150 cPhy is part of a recently launched “5E” series of the blue PiraT2. Next to increased Ethernet tracking performance, the new loggers feature extended power management with power backup. This makes the blue PiraT2 5E useful for test scenarios in which the control units in the vehicle stop operation due to under voltage – while the logger monitors their behavior during shutdown.

Hardware and software: integrated solutions

Telemotive’s software complements and extends the functions of the data loggers. Telemotive System Link, for instance, is an application that integrates the data loggers blue PiraT2 and blue PiraT Mini into a single virtual device. Telemotive Live View is used for real-time visualization of test data. Telemotive System Client not only allows central configuration of all loggers but also displays their input signals via the OnlineMonitor – also in real-time.

The company explains Telemotive System Link, perhaps the most central feature, as follows: Real-time tests during automotive development require a large number of data loggers to track the data of different interfaces. That increases both the amount and the heterogeneity of data. Configuring the loggers individually is very time-consuming and it also becomes difficult to maintain an overview and filter out the relevant data. Even more an entire test series can become invalid if an interruption in the power supply leads to failure of the data logger which provides the time stamp for all data.

Telemotive System Link, says the company, offers a new, simple solution for all these challenges which is currently unique on the market: Several data loggers can be connected in series by Ethernet and integrated into a single virtual device. Maximum failure safety is ensured in the data logger cluster by decentralized time synchronization, a feature only offered by Telemotive.

On the hardware side, Telemotive’s most recent innovation is Remote Control Touch – a new remote control with a 5-inch

touchscreen for data loggers. Usually it is installed in the car close to the driver, while the connected loggers can be placed anywhere in the vehicle. The company says that the new device offers innovative possibilities for user interface personalization and test data visualization, while it is still very easy to use. Furthermore, Remote Control Touch is ready for future expansion with a HTML5 browser or apps from Telemotive.

Automotive Industries (AI) asked Peter Kersten, chairman of the board of Telemotive, to describe Telemotive’s 15 years in the automotive engineering and products business.

Kersten: Mastering and resolving complexity has always been one of our main motivations at Telemotive. As complexity in the automotive industry has increased exponentially over the years, the demand for our services has grown – and thus, our company has expanded. When we started Telemotive 15 years ago we were still talking about CD changers. Today the topics are advanced driver assistance, test automation, image recognition or big data. The automobile has become a mobile device in its own right – and we are developing the solutions!

AI: What are Telemotive’s strengths, and how do you plan to build on these?

Kersten: Our main assets are our employees and their excellent know-how. To make the most out of their expertise we create and use synergies wherever we can. Engineering services, product development and tooling are connected so they learn and profit from each other. Also, we have always been close to our customers – car manufacturers and Tier1 suppliers alike – so we know exactly what they need.

AI: Describe Telemotive’s role in the MOST alliance and how you see the relationship evolving.

Kersten: We have a close partnership with the MOST alliance – and this allows us to be first on the market with new tools. An example are our new MOST cPhy loggers for simplex and duplex operation.

AI then asked Markus Fischer, Telemotive board member responsible for marketing, how groundbreaking Telemotive’s blue PiraT Mini MOST150 is.

Fischer: The blue PiraT Mini MOST150 is the smallest data

logger worldwide with MOST150 – or MOST150 cPhy. But it can do a lot more: It comes with additional interfaces like Ethernet and BroadR-Reach, and of course Telemotive System Link connects it to other compatible devices and tools.

AI: How does your Telemotive System Link support applications already in existence?

Fischer: The logger network created by Telemotive System Link is more than the sum of its parts. It integrates the individual loggers into a single virtual machine instead of simply connecting them one by one. That makes configuration and operation easier than ever before. Our customers do not have to worry about different files from different interfaces or time stamp synchronization. They get one file with one global time stamp. Also, Telemotive System Link is future-proof and thus protects the investment of our customers. It can always be expanded with new devices new functions, or new interfaces – such as LTE (4G), WiFi, NAS memory.

In everyday testing, Telemotive System Link provides the flexibility to place the loggers in the car wherever it is convenient – in the front, the back, the trunk, close to control devices. The latter, for example, is crucial for CAN FD testing where test devices, have to alter the cable length as little as possible for accurate results.

AI: Tell us a little about Telemotive’s Remote Control Touch – what are some of the technology breakthroughs in the product?

Fischer: The Remote Control Touch is super-easy to use and it is more than just a remote control for a data logger – it’s more like a window into the entire logger network. Telemotive System Link and the touchscreen make the difference: One remote can control all loggers in the network or visualize their test and systems data in new ways. It is also possible to use several remote controls in the network for different functions. The user interface on the Remote Control Touch can be personalized for every customer and offers easy access to many logger functions. And, just like Telemotive System Link, our Remote Control Touch is an open system: It can be expanded in the future with a HTML5 browser or apps.