Cases /

Automotive

SUMS - Manage vehicle software updates transparently
The new SUMS regulation stipulates it - updates must also be implemented over-the-air in vehicles from July 2024.

With UNECE-WP.29 - SUMS as the central control unit for software updates, the IT, vehicle development and certification departments are starting the long journey away from specific stand-alone solutions and semi-digital legacy systems to an end-to-end solution.

Thanks to our expertise in the documentation of software updates, we map the central part of the SUMS process toolchain with our application.

Complex processes and previously unbundled expert knowledge are complicating digitization in the automotive industry. From 2024, vehicle manufacturers will be confronted with clear performance and audit requirements via the legal requirement of a digital software update management system (SUMS).

In areas where voluntary self-commitment has been relied upon to date, software components will have to be considered individually with regard to versioning and tracking in the future in order to ensure complete traceability. Implementation requires new processes, the creation of new roles in automotive companies, and the consolidation of already existing and documented information from different areas and systems. Perhaps the greatest challenge here is that the two worlds of R&D and certification must work closely together and formulate a common solution.

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Our strategy: As a system integrator for Software Update Management Systems (SUMS), we used agile project management to be able to react flexibly to spontaneous changes.

Based on our experience already gained in the vehicle homologation project, we developed a strategy together with our customer and the target group to address the first urgent use case, the certification of the SUMS process on the customer side. After formulating the product vision, we decided to create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) that required manual data entry. Our goal was to increase the level of automation via interfaces in order to

to avoid redundant data maintenance and to create a reliable source of information - especially with regard to software updates on the user:inside side. The project went through important steps, including the creation of the MVP for the certification of the SUMS process and an extension of the MVP for the certification of ALKS. In addition to this, we continuously expanded the automated data processing andintegrated further software information on non-SUMS areas, such as the area of emissions.

Technologies

In addition to Go, React and Docker, Parcel, Jenkins, Material UI and Kafka were used as technologies. In addition, the systems were implemented using Grafana, Postgres, S3, Git and Liquibase.

Tools

In addition to GitHub, Mural, VS Code, Teams, and Grafana, we used pgAdmin, Mattermost, Kafka Lenses (Replacement by Confluent Admin), and Docker Desktop.

Together with the client and the users, we developed a web app that meets the requirements of the new SUMS regulations for vehicle registration - and is fully operational when they come into force. The OEM can now act as an interface to the authority using this tool.

The web app structures and summarizes data for the software of control units as part of vehicle certification and for a complete conformity check of all vehicles. By providing the necessary data, the authority is enabled to check in the market, so that the transparency and correctness of the data can be proven. Based on end-to-end traceability in the app, we thus support the path toward safe autonomous driving.

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Automotive

Vehicle certification. Keeping an overview in the regulations jungle

From July 2024, the software used in vehicles must be certified according to a new regulation for all sales markets. The UNECE-WP.29 - SUMS serves as a central control unit for software updates to replace previously used solutions for individual steps with an end-to-end solution. Our application forms the central part of the SUMS process toolchain - thanks to our expertise in homologation and documentation of software updates.

CHALLENGE

Digitisation in the automotive sector is difficult due to complex processes and often also a bundling of expert knowledge at homologues with many years of experience.

  • Timetable from project start to the first certification on the customer side of the process or the first control unit managed according to the process
  • Previously: Each OEM could decide for itself on transparency and consistency of the process across all departments.
  • Now obligation for continuous process chain and transparency towards authorities, new vehicles and after sales
  • Organisational processes and software support had to be developed in parallel due to time constraints.

STRATEGY

System integrator for Software Update Management Systems (SUMS)

  • Use of agile project management for flexible adjustments at any time
  • Simultaneous development of new work processes and structures as well as a suitable complementary software tool.
  • Learning: For future projects first processes then systems (within this project simultaneity was necessary)
  • Creation of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) for manual data entry and one ECU instead of directly for the whole series or all ECUs of a vehicle variant
  • Increasing the degree of automation through interfaces - no more manual maintenance of data, receiving data from other systems, bundling of data and dissemination of relevant, condensed data
  • Further expansion of the new technological possibilities to other areas: Automated data processing and integration of information regarding the software in the vehicle Software information for non-SUMS areas
  • Our customer was the first OEM to fulfil the certification of an assistance system for a level 3 autonomous driving vehicle and was therefore first-to-market
  • Learning: For future projects first processes then systems (within this project simultaneity was necessary)

SOLUTION

Development of a data hub for all data on SW updates to certified control units in the vehicle

  • In the same tool, the change of SW can be recorded and the assessment of certification neutrality can be documented
  • OEM acts as interface to the authority: Information on software versions and the respective version of the control unit is transparent for the authorities.
  • Structuring and summarising all relevant data for the software of ECUs and making it available to the authorities for checking conformity.
  • Change management/assessment process: Changes to ECUs can be recorded immediately and assessed whether the status is certification-neutral or requires a new certification based on changes to software versions

TECHNOLOGIES

Technologies used: Go, React, Docker, Parcel, Jenkins, Material UI, Kafka

Systems: Grafana, Postgres, S3, Git, Liquibase

TOOLS

Github
Mural
Grafana
VSCode
Docker-Desktop
Mattermost
Teams
PQAdmin
Kafka-Lenses