Case Study

Autosar Conversion – Seat Control ECU

Customer(EU):

Industry specialist that develops and produces sustainable, safe and convenient solutions for automotive manufacturers as well as industrial and end customers worldwide. Global TIER-1

End customer: Volkswagen

Challenges

Create a new generation from the actual product, based on a new microcontroller and fully Autosar compliant.

Legacy Architecture to AUTOSAR Migration – Converting existing software built on proprietary/legacy architectures into the AUTOSAR Classic Platform or similar standard stack.
Functional & Software Component Re-Modelling – Re-structuring existing functionalities into AUTOSAR SWCs (Software Components), Runnables, interfaces and communication patterns.
Tool‐chain & Configuration Harmonisation – Ensuring the tool-chain (BSW stack, MCAL, RTE generation, configuration tools) aligns with AUTOSAR version requirements and company processes.
Variant & Reuse Management – Managing multiple ECU variants, reuse of legacy code, and mapping to standardised AUTOSAR modules to avoid explosion of bespoke solutions.
Safety, Compliance & Integration Risks – Ensuring the migrated architecture still meets functional safety (e.g., ISO 26262) and integration readiness for hardware and network ecosystems.

Solutions

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Gap Analysis & Legacy Audit – Conducted a detailed audit of legacy software modules, identifying deviations from AUTOSAR layering, naming, interfaces, and communications.

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Modular Re-Architecture – Defined new software components aligning with AUTOSAR nomenclature (SWC, Com, Mode Manager, etc), and partitioned functions appropriately.

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Tool-chain Upgrade & Configuration Standardisation – Selected/upgraded tooling (e.g., ARXML generators, BSW stacks, RTE tools) and established configuration templates for consistency.

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Variant Strategy & Reuse Framework – Created a reuse library of generic SWCs and BSW services, and planned variant management strategy to reduce duplication across ECU variants.

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Incremental Migration & Validation – Adopted step-wise migration (module by module) with early integration, SIL/HIL testing, and verification to ensure safety and correct integration into vehicle architecture.

Key Impact

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Improved Software Scalability & Re-use – By migrating to AUTOSAR, SWCs become reusable across vehicle platforms, reducing future development effort.

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Reduced Time to Market / Development Cost – Standardised architecture and reuse frameworks reduce the cost and time for new ECU variants.

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Enhanced Maintainability & Quality – The new architecture provides clearer layering, traceability, and less bespoke code, improving maintainability and reliability.

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Better Integration with OEM/Ecosystem – Since many OEMs & Tier-1 suppliers expect AUTOSAR compliance, migration increases compatibility and ecosystem alignment.

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Risk Mitigation for Future Platforms – The migration prepares the company for future E/E architectures, increased software complexity, and functional safety demands.

Applied Methodology

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Define Target Architecture & Version – Set the master architecture baseline (e.g., AUTOSAR Classic v4.x) including layers, BSW modules, RTE, SWC structure.

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Legacy Mapping & Conversion Planning – Mapped legacy modules/functions to the target architecture, identified which to reuse, refactor or replace.

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Toolchain & Configuration Setup – Configured AUTOSAR toolchain (MCAL, BSW stack, RTE generator, configuration tools) and established configuration templates and naming conventions.

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Implementation & Integration in Iterations – Executed the migration in iterations: create SWCs, configure communication, integrate into RTE, test each incrementally using SIL/HIL.

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Verification, Validation & Variant Integration – Performed verification (unit, integration) and validation (system, vehicle) for each ECU variant, ensuring compliance, performance, and safety requirements.

Tasks / Responsibilities

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Build environment

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Integration

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Configuration

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Code implementation (Embedded C)

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Diagnostics definition

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Communication matrix definition

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Feature porting

Toolchain / Technologies

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DaVinci Configurator

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DaVinci Developer

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Tasking

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AUTOSAR

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WinIdea

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CANoE

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CANdela

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Infineon Aurix TC3XX

Team composition

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1 Build environment specialist

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4 Autosar engineers

Communication working

Main features porting

%

Customer Satisfaction

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