Electronic control units (ECUs) typically execute hundreds of software functions and tasks under the control of a real-time operating system (RTOS). Understanding worst-case timing under all relevant conditions is of paramount importance to detect performance bottlenecks, verify deadlines and other timing constraints, and to optimize ECU scheduling.

SymTA/S performs scheduling analysis for ECUs considering the complex interactions resulting from software-component integration. When hundreds of functions share one ECU, they will pre-empt and block each other, delaying their execution. Interrupts from sensors or buses further complicate the picture. The RTOS and low-level software also demand their share of the available CPU time. Task activation offsets, input-dependent code execution times, modes of operation, data- and control-flow and other important factors are considered by SymTA/S as well.

SymTA/S provides software designers and ECU architects with unique capabilities to

• Automatically calculate and visualize critical timing corner cases where  deadline violations may occur
• Reliably verify timing under all relevant conditions
• Optimize ECU configurations to improve performance
• Budget the available CPU time
• Explore different implementation and integration options early in the design.

SymTA/S integrates with WCET (Worst-Case Execution Time) analysis tools, tracing tools, modelling tools and customer-specific databases (see partners here). In a typical use case, all required analysis data can be imported. SymTA/S is also fully scriptable. Therefore, both modelling effort and tool operation effort are kept to a minimum. The results can be exported into various formats. and comprehensive reports can be generated automatically.

SymTA/S also works with estimated input data, such as estimated execution times or execution time budgets for new software-components, or estimates on the frequency of interrupts. This allows to quickly assess the feasibility of an implementation, and to dimension ECUs.