PREEvision for E/E Architecture - System Architecture

PREEvision Overview

Capability	Description	Automotive Use Case
E/E architecture modelling	Networks, ECUs, connectors, wiring harness in unified model	Zone architecture topology design
Function allocation	Allocate functions to ECUs with resource budgeting	CPU/ROM/RAM budget per ECU from allocation model
Signal routing	Automatic routing table generation from function allocation	Gateway routing table generated; no manual maintenance
Variant management	Multi-variant architecture (market/model/option variants)	One model for all trim levels; variant rules drive differences
AUTOSAR export	Generate ARXML from architecture model	ECU supplier receives ARXML interface spec
Wiring harness design	Generate 3D harness topology from architecture model	Harness weight/length KPI; NRE input for physical design

PREEvision Architecture Workflow

YAMLpreevision_workflow.yaml

# PREEvision architecture workflow steps
workflow:
  step1_functional_architecture:
    tool: PREEvision Function Architecture Editor
    activity: "Create function tree; define function interfaces"
    output: "Function model with ASIL tags and interface signals"

  step2_logical_architecture:
    tool: PREEvision Logical Architecture Editor
    activity: "Group functions into SW components; define ports"
    output: "Logical component model; SW interface specification"

  step3_network_topology:
    tool: PREEvision Network Topology Editor
    activity: "Place ECUs; connect via bus segments; assign addresses"
    output: "Physical network model; ECU BOM; bus load analysis"

  step4_function_allocation:
    tool: PREEvision Allocation Editor
    activity: "Map logical components to physical ECUs"
    output: "Allocation matrix; resource utilisation reports"

  step5_signal_routing:
    tool: PREEvision Signal Routing
    activity: "Auto-generate routing table from allocation"
    output: "Gateway routing table; signal database (DBC/ARXML)"

  step6_arxml_export:
    tool: PREEvision AUTOSAR Exchange
    activity: "Export ARXML for each ECU supplier"
    output: "Per-ECU ARXML; FIBEX for network design"

Summary

PREEvision is the industry-standard E/E architecture tool because it maintains consistency across all architecture views in a single model: a function allocation change in the allocation editor automatically updates the resource budget, regenerates the signal routing table, and updates the ARXML export for affected ECUs -- without manual synchronisation between separate documents. This consistency is critical at architecture change time: when an ECU is removed and its functions moved to another ECU, a tool that maintains cross-view consistency prevents the most common integration error (routing table not updated when allocation changed). The wiring harness weight KPI is a direct model output that enables the architecture team to optimise harness routing during design rather than after the physical prototype is built.

🔬 Deep Dive — Core Concepts Expanded

This section builds on the foundational concepts covered above with additional technical depth, edge cases, and configuration nuances that separate competent engineers from experts. When working on production ECU projects, the details covered here are the ones most commonly responsible for integration delays and late-phase defects.

Key principles to reinforce:

Configuration over coding: In AUTOSAR and automotive middleware environments, correctness is largely determined by ARXML configuration, not application code. A correctly implemented algorithm can produce wrong results due to a single misconfigured parameter.
Traceability as a first-class concern: Every configuration decision should be traceable to a requirement, safety goal, or architecture decision. Undocumented configuration choices are a common source of regression defects when ECUs are updated.
Cross-module dependencies: In tightly integrated automotive software stacks, changing one module's configuration often requires corresponding updates in dependent modules. Always perform a dependency impact analysis before submitting configuration changes.

🏭 How This Topic Appears in Production Projects

Project integration phase: The concepts covered in this lesson are most commonly encountered during ECU integration testing — when multiple software components from different teams are combined for the first time. Issues that were invisible in unit tests frequently surface at this stage.
Supplier/OEM interface: This is a topic that frequently appears in technical discussions between Tier-1 ECU suppliers and OEM system integrators. Engineers who can speak fluently about these details earn credibility and are often brought into critical design review meetings.
Automotive tool ecosystem: Vector CANoe/CANalyzer, dSPACE tools, and ETAS INCA are the standard tools used to validate and measure the correct behaviour of the systems described in this lesson. Familiarity with these tools alongside the conceptual knowledge dramatically accelerates debugging in real projects.

⚠️ Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Assuming default configuration is correct: Automotive software tools ship with default configurations that are designed to compile and link, not to meet project-specific requirements. Every configuration parameter needs to be consciously set. 'It compiled' is not the same as 'it is correctly configured'.
Skipping documentation of configuration rationale: In a 3-year ECU project with team turnover, undocumented configuration choices become tribal knowledge that disappears when engineers leave. Document why a parameter is set to a specific value, not just what it is set to.
Testing only the happy path: Automotive ECUs must behave correctly under fault conditions, voltage variations, and communication errors. Always test the error handling paths as rigorously as the nominal operation. Many production escapes originate in untested error branches.
Version mismatches between teams: In a multi-team project, the BSW team, SWC team, and system integration team may use different versions of the same ARXML file. Version management of all ARXML files in a shared repository is mandatory, not optional.

📊 Industry Note

Engineers who master both the theoretical concepts and the practical toolchain skills covered in this course are among the most sought-after professionals in the automotive software industry. The combination of AUTOSAR standards knowledge, safety engineering understanding, and hands-on configuration experience commands premium salaries at OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers globally.