In recent years, the automotive industry has experienced radical changes on practically all its fronts. On the eve of the consolidation of the autonomous coach and in the shadow of an increasingly demanding market and with increasingly strict environmental laws, the world's main automotive companies are forced to reinvent their methods. This reinvention is characterized, above all, by a considerable increase in electronic controllers and in the exchange of data between these controllers. This increase in automation has opened an immense opportunity for professionals in the field of electronics and integrated software.
In this post we are going to reveal which programming tools and languages are the most used in the automotive industry. Read until the end and improve your possibilities to obtain a place in the most respected industry in Germany.
The German automotive industry
The German automotive industry is one of the most advanced and significant in the world, with the presence of important car manufacturers such as BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Audi and Volkswagen. In addition to car manufacturers, the industry is made up of an immense network of major suppliers such as Bosch, Continental and Siemens.
To maintain its advantage in an increasingly competitive market, Germany needs above all a large number of specialized personnel. In recent years, the German automotive industry has become one of the best industries to work with car manufacturers and main suppliers always appear at the top of the list of the best employers in the country. The excellent salaries, the high level of quality of life and the wide demand for qualified labor have attracted a large number of foreign professionals to the German automotive centers.
The contradiction in the current industry
On the one hand, the car industry is under immense pressure from society to reduce contaminants, increase quality and improve vehicle safety. On the other hand, the competence requires the reduction of costs and the shortening of production cycles. These requirements seem contrary to intuition, and indeed they are. After all, an increase in heat hardly leads to a reduction in cost. It is difficult to obtain an increase in security by producing “on the march”. So, how is it possible to satisfy griegos and troyanos without losing competitiveness? The answer to this question is: “technology and automation”.
The key of the engineering in these days is to be as precise as it is necessary and the most rough possible.
When we talk about automation, the first thing that comes into the minds of people is a factory dominated by robots and machines that work autonomously. However, this is also the automation that the industry is using to reduce costs and increase quality, but in this publication we will only focus on the automation introduced in the car.
Any increase in automation generates an increase in digitalization and complexity. In order for this immense amount of data to be processed correctly, it is necessary to instruct the on-board controllers to carry it out using software that runs integrated in microcontrollers distributed throughout the vehicle.
Programming languages in motoring
The technologies and methods used in the development of automotive software change much more slowly than the trends practiced in the development of the web, for example. However, those who wish to join this industry must familiarize themselves with the following languages:
Language C
C es the name of a language currently used in different areas and purposes. Now it is part of a language considered advanced, developed in Laboratorios Bell in the 70's. It is considered a medium level language, because it can work at a level close to the machine or as a high level language like other existing ones. one.
The AUTOSAR standard defines C as the standard automotive software development language. Some exceptions to this rule are infotainment systems that only use higher level languages like C++. Due to the enormous importance that the language occupies in the automotive standards, we consider that this is the most significant language of all.
The formal definition of language can be found in the book “The language of programming C” by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie (los creadores del lenguaje). In the 1980s, work began on the creation of a standard called C ANSI (American National Standardization Institute), but AUTOSAR provides for the use of the MISRA C standard.
C++ language
After the C language, the language that is standing out more and more in recent years is C++. It is used in a series of applications related to the development of on-board entertainment devices (Infotainment). C++ has also been used quite frequently in the new BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) systems that aim to reduce the number of cables in the car through wireless communication.
Another important aspect of the C++ language is its indirect use in many of the main tools used by practically all car manufacturers in Germany. An excellent example of this is the CANoe software from the company Vector GmbH. This software is basically a packet used to simulate the internal networks for transferring data from the car. With it, it is possible to simulate different ECUs or analyze the communication between real ECUs that transfer data through the car network (CAN-BUS). The programming of this simulated environment is carried out in a high-level language known as CAPL, based on the C++ language.
Python
Of the three languages cited in this publication, Python is definitely "chico nuevo en el bloque". Unlike C and C++, Python is a high-level interpreted command sequence programming language. This means that code written in Python does not need to be compiled in advance, as in the case of C and C++. Python is free and can be easily installed on your computer, like any other software for Windows or Mac.
Honestly, knowing Python only probable will not guarantee the work of your sues in automovilismo, but it can help you to show service once you are there. Python is an excellent language for data analysis and can be used to draw conclusions and create statistics quickly and automatically.
We assume that you work with engine data and you need to analyze the result of an absurd amount of data generated by sensors on the test platform. With the help of a Python script, this task can be quickly automated on your computer. In addition, the script can be reused as many times as necessary, increasing its productivity and the speed with which it generates its reports.
Comments