Neben unserem hybriden Messestand auf der embedded world erwarten Sie auf der embedded conference in Nürnberg gleich drei Vorträge von unseren Embedded-Expert*innen rund um die Themenfelder internet of things, connectivity solutions und embedded HMIs. 

22.06.2022, 11:30 - 12:00 Uhr (Session 1.4 - internet of things)

The Full Monty – OTA Updates for the Full Software Stack of IoT Devices - Andy Walter

Today’s embedded devices are usually connected to the internet and thus part of the “Internet of Things” (IoT). Just like any other computer in the internet, they have to be updated regularly and frequently in order to prevent critical vulnerabibilties for the IoT device and the whole network.

Even though IoT devices are typically made to execute a single application, they often still require a relatively complex software stack of independent software modules – which all should be covered by the OTA update: There’s a boot loader, device drivers, a board support package (BSP), a (rudimentary) Operating System, middle ware, and the application itself. As updates may depend on each other, an update strategy is required to ensure that the device remains bootable and usable even in case of an update failure.

Luckily, there’s a number of helpful tools and libraries, both open-source and commercial, which make the installation of OTA updates on IoT devices a managable task. This talk provides a general outline for established approaches and introduces the most helpful tools that can be used for various embedded OSes, including reasonable update strategies. The focus of this talk is on the installation process rather than the network communication. So, “OTA” in the sense of this talk could also be an update via a wired connection.

 

22.06.2022, 14:45 - 15:15 Uhr (Session 2.5 - connectivity solutions)

Protocol Abstraction – the Easy Way - Andy Walter

A general problem with device communication is that device specific commands differ by manufacturer or device type even when using standardized protocols. Thus, a general implementation approach is often problematic and complex.
To tackle this problem one possible approach is to unify different device protocol implementation, which is usually only an option for one specific manufacturer and would make backwards compatibility problematic.
To overcome the presented problems the specific command structure is extracted into exchangeable, versionable and verifiable description files and only the protocol’s value interpretation and parsing of the description files is implemented in code.
With this the payload of nearly any protocol can be split into key value pairs, that can then be used in model-based architectures to provide data to HMIs or business processes. Additionally, the description files can be split into commonly used and specific parts, so that the complete payload description of a connected device can be created ‘on-the-fly’. This would also allow to hide specific functionality based on user access rights, software version or other rule sets.
By using this approach, it was possible to save several thousand lines of codes in a legacy software which used a manufacturer specific communication protocol.
Furthermore, the support of different manufacturer’s devices for standardized protocols is easily possible and parts of the description are even usable for all manufacturers.

23.06.2022, 11:30 - 12:00 Uhr (Session 9.1 - HMI Software)

Test Automation: Playing Buzzword Bingo vs. Utilizing it Purposefully - Ronja Stobrawe & Justina Krawczyk

Among other areas of expertise, we at macio develop embedded software for a variety of industries, including safety and medical technology. As a software service provider with our roots in the area of operating applications, we were able to gain broad experience in manual and automated testing as a means of quality assurance for our Human Machine Interface (HMI) projects early on.

In our day to day business we noticed that test automation has become an outright buzzword. In our presentation we aim to persue the question: How do I apply test automation purposefully and not only for the sake of having it? We look at how to properly plan for applying test automation from the beginning and how to utilise it purposefully in software projects.

For the means of illustration we will bring a fictional example project with us, through which we would like to share our experiences and engage in dialogue with the conference participants.

We will address aspects and questions such as:
- What are the benefits of test automation?
- When and where should test automation be applied?
- Should I always test my UI on the embedded Hardware?
- What are common hurdles?
- How do I focus test activities to achieve high test coverage?
- ...

Die embedded world Conference findet in Nürnberg statt. Über drei Konferenztage geben Expert*innen in ihren Fachvorträgen einen Einblick in die zahlreichen Facetten der Embedded-Branche. Die einzelnen Vorträge sind nach ihren Überthemen in verschiedene Sessions gegliedert

Das vollständige Programm der Konferenz finden Sie hier.