FLASH

We come now to the ODX cabinets that are designed for specific tasks and start the flash container element for the Flash programming.

The actual programming is of course with diagnostic services such as data transfer carried out, which are described in the Diag-layer. The task of the Flash container is to describe data to be programmed and its mapping in the ECU memory. A small example, see figure: There is a tachometer control unit in a U.S. and a European version. The control unit software (application) is the same in both cases. The record, however is different. There is a variant for Europe, where is the processing and display in km / h and a variant for the U.S., in which the display of speed is prescribed with mph. In addition, the programming still needs a flash loader. This is a small driver program that contains the programming algorithm for flash memory. Typically, these driver programs are not kept permanently in the ECU memory, but are downloaded as needed, that the Flash programming process before the actual programming data set.

Programming data sets for a tachometer control unit

This example is shown in the figure above. At the same here, the corresponding ODX names are provided. The two variants for the U.S. and Europe will be created within the so-called sessions. The actual data sets and their description via so-called data blocks. The sessions refer to the corresponding data blocks. Here you can see, for example, the session for the U.S. and Europe for the session both point to the same application, same but different flash driver on two data sets.

The most important element of the Flash container will be listed:

• DATA BLOCK describes the structure of the address range to be programmed, it has always been a SEGMENT

• Related programming data in INTEL-HEX, Motorola S or BINARY format (FLASH DATAS) are mapped into data blocks to segments and separated by SOURCE-START-ADDRESS and SOURCE-END-ADDRESS

• Access Protection (Seed & Key) is usually about SINGLE-ECU-JOBS which refer to an external JAR file *.

• SECURITY objects in the checksums and signatures are stored, what a session or a DATA BLOCK assigned

• PHYS-MEM describes the real structure of a memory controller, so the runtime system can check the validity of the flash data

• Programming is done by a succession of different diagnostic services within a SINGLE-ECU-JOBS (Flash-job)

• The ECU-MEM-CONNECTOR establishes a connection between the flash job in DIAG-LAYER CONTAINER and a SESSION object in FLASH

ECU Programming - Data Container

ODX is made in a data block composed of segments and flash data elements. A flash data element contains the data to be programmed in an object code format. The segment-section maps these data to the memory of the controller. That is, there are start and end address defines the address ranges. The access protection for the Flash programming is done via a security element. There described the type of access protection is therefore carried out for instance, which seed-and-key method. This security element is connected to a single session. The physical memory block describes the real structure of a memory controller. In this way, the runtime system check during programming if the programming data rate and the real memory of the controller structure fit together. That is, under the desired segment memory areas from the perspective of the programming data rate specified in Physical and memory are the actual available storage areas from the perspective of the control unit is stored. When programming compares the runtime system the two together. The actual programming operation is typically described by a so-called flash-job, that is a single ECU job, see Diag-layer container. This is a Java program that runs each for the programming necessary diagnostic services. The connection between the flash data container, and this single-ECU-ECU the jobs via the memory connector.

ECU Programming - FLASH (scheme)