S.E.S.A. AG: embedded systems are our daily business

A future vision considers a car to be a fully electronic world of events, ready for multimedia applications with access to the Internet. Following a prognosis of the German Association of the Automobile Industry every second car will be online by 2010. The driver will then be able to gather information about weather, traffic jams or quotations via Internet.

The Internet itself is fused to a solution of GPS systems, radio and telephone that excels by a standardised operational ease. But information technology is even more wide spread within cars. There are only few vehicle parts without any integrated electronic or software items, no matter if we refer to windscreen wipers or brakes. This kind of software is generally known as “embedded systems”. Realising embedded systems solutions, a lot of automobile groups and suppliers use the know how of external service companies. These service companies perform an individual development of application.

External know how required

S.E.S.A. AG is one of these service providers. Having a staff of 600 employees, S.E.S.A. AG has offices in Eschborn, Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich and Berlin and has further European offices in Paris, Rome, Milan and Turin. Their business is to design and develop individual and comprehensive software, systems and applications. Furthermore, S.E.S.A. offers consulting services, too. Their portfolio offers everything from specific technical advice referring to technology problems to comprehensive management consulting. Know how key areas are embedded systems, telematics and IT security.

System components for Servotronic-steering instruments

S.E.S.A. developed numerous system components for the steering instrument of servotronic. The steering instrument is optimised as regards fuel consumption and gains information about speed, revolutions per minute and steering position via the CAN-Motorbus. An EEPROM and different analogue-digital channels come up with further data. Three employees of our company took over essential duties. development of a system specific real-time operating system with a schedule possibility, development of an EEPROM-driver, development of a CAN-driver, development of an ADC-driver, development of an PWM-driver, development of an error manager, development of a diagnosis manager using a KWP2000-driver and testing the manufactured components were just some of the duties for our S.E.S.A. team. The project has been concluded within six months.

Mobile communication for car drivers

On the field of GSM, S.E.S.A. designed system components on behalf of a car radio manufacturer covering the whole GSM- and telematics software of communications for a car radio system via mobile communication. The main idea of the application were new services for the driver: an emergency call not simply opening a speech connection to the control centre, but also transmitting central data as the current position, covered distance and car data to the emergency unit; a breakdown service passing on car diagnosis parameter and demanding help; a traffic information service which selects all relevant traffic information either locally or according to the route; an operational ease mobile telephone; a short message service; a travel pilot support being based on the current traffic situation; an information service with navigation support, that also covers orders and booking and an automatic flow of the operating configuration including an adjustment according to the particular current position.

Essential tasks for S.E.S.A.

In this project S.E.S.A. has been responsible for the complete fulfilment of the GSM- and telematics functionalities due to specifications within the set in time and for the integration in the entire system. Among others, their tasks were the following: supporting the development of a compulsory list, an object-orientated analysis of the requirements and prerequisites, an object-orientated design of the architecture for the GSM- and telematics system, the head for the GSM-module, support for the transfer of the customer -multitasking- configuration system to PC, GPS-control and administration software, control and administration of the speech channel as well as the administration of the short message channel, analysis for a regression test system to check GSM- and telematics functionalities automatically and for quality control of the system and the whole documentation.

Complex information shortly

Furthermore, S.E.S.A. AG has been involved in the development of a combined instrument that provides the driver with information in a structured and individual way. The combined instrument covers the entire communication of the vehicle with the driver via buzzer, matrix display, lamps and warning texts. Necessary information is placed at one’s disposal through two CAN-busses: a bus for motor control (CAN-C) and an information bus (CAN-B). S.E.S.A. employees improved the system components concerning the whole combined instrument with all its implemented functions for driver’s information.

Remaining in a leading position

The projects listed above will only describe a part of our extensive knowledge in the area of Embedded Systems. Our company proves it’s know-how in many other exiting projects as well. In the future S.E.S.A. will stay in leading position in the realisation of Embedded Systems for the automobile industry. We will always stay in the background, out of sight for the consumer but with energy, inventiveness and expertise.

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Juergen Hatzipantelis,