Vehicle Network Communication Testing
Automotive E/E architectures are moving from distributed to domain-centralized and centralized control, with the gateway becoming the vehicle's communication hub. ZD provides full-chain communication testing covering CAN/LIN and automotive Ethernet, verifying whether communication matrices, gateway routing, diagnostic services and network management work as designed.
Challenges Customers Face
The value of network testing is keeping communication-layer issues in the laboratory rather than carrying them into real vehicles and the market.
Architecture leaps expand the verification boundary
Automotive Ethernet, SOME/IP and AUTOSAR network management vastly expand the communication chain and verification boundary, and traditional CAN-centric test methods and tool chains struggle to cover the new communication forms.
Risk of sleep/wake and quiescent power consumption
Whole-vehicle network management involves multi-controller coordination; a defect in sleep/wake strategies shows up directly as battery drain and customer complaints, and such problems are often only exposed late in whole-vehicle integration.
The gateway becomes the communication hub, so faults have broad impact
In domain-centralized architectures the gateway handles cross-domain routing and protocol conversion; any deviation in the routing table, diagnostic routing or signal mapping affects the functional behaviour of several domains at once, requiring system-level verification on the bench.
Test Targets and Solution Composition
With the gateway at the centre, it covers communication links between the powertrain, body, cockpit and AD domains, reproducing the whole-vehicle network environment on the bench for system-level verification.
Bench-Level Communication Environment
Built around the in-house ZD Box series simulation interface devices, supporting mixed access for CAN/CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay and 100/1000M automotive Ethernet. A single unit provides 6 channels of CAN/CAN FD plus 4 channels of LIN, so multiple buses can be simulated and monitored on one device.
Ethernet Link Access
ZD Box 4442 provides 4 channels of 100/1000M automotive Ethernet and 2 channels of standard Gigabit Ethernet, supports 100/1000M Master/Slave node configuration, and covers Ethernet standard protocols such as DoIP, SOME/IP and 802.1Q.
Conversion, Switching and Protection
On the bench side, the ZD Converter series handles conversion between automotive Ethernet and standard Ethernet, ZD AES 1000 provides automotive Ethernet switching, and the ZD SafeLink series provides safe connection and protection for communication links.
From Single Devices to a Cabinet-Based Test Platform
For high-volume network testing needs, ZD can deliver a cabinet-based network communication test platform: a cabinet integrating simulation devices, programmable power supplies, network equipment and a management host, together with test management software, forming a reusable, relocatable test environment.
Test coverage includes physical layer and data link layer testing, sleep/wake testing, voltage drop testing, wake-up source testing and overall testing, with results fed into a unified management platform that supports test resource scheduling and report output.
The bench can be relocated as a whole to the customer site, or integrated and retrofitted on the customer's existing bench, with device quantities allocated flexibly according to project scale.
Core Test Capabilities
CAN / LIN Network Testing
Covers consistency verification of communication matrices, message cycles and signal mapping, including functional testing of bus load, error frames, network management messages and diagnostic services.
Automotive Ethernet and TSN Testing
For 100/1000Base-T1 and 10GBase-T1 links, verifies link establishment, bandwidth and latency, AVB/TSN data stream performance and PTP clock synchronization accuracy.
Gateway Routing and Architecture Verification
Verifies the correctness of cross-domain routing tables, protocol conversion, signal mapping and diagnostic routing, covering regression verification after E/E architecture changes.
Sleep/Wake and Power Testing
For whole-vehicle network management strategies, verifies sleep conditions, wake-up sources, wake-up timing and quiescent current behaviour, exposing battery drain risks on the bench in advance.
Diagnostics and Flashing Testing
Verification of diagnostic services based on UDS / DoIP, covering diagnostic sessions, fault code read/write, flashing procedures and abnormal scenarios in diagnostic routing.
Automation Environment and On-Site Service
Provides device integration, automated test environment setup and automated test engineering development, and can also arrange engineers on site to support daily test execution and issue localization.
Solution Composition
The test environment is composed of in-house interface devices, conversion and switching devices, a complete cabinet and test management software.
Key Specifications
Using the two main ZD Box series models as examples; configurations are in practice combined according to the channel requirements of the test target.
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| Item | ZD Box 6400 | ZD Box 4442 |
|---|---|---|
| CAN / CAN FD | 6 channels | 4 channels |
| LIN | 4 channels | 4 channels |
| FlexRay | — | 2 channels (trace only, cold-start support) |
| Automotive Ethernet | — | 4 channels, 100/1000M |
| Standard Ethernet | — | 2 channels, Gigabit |
| GPIO | 1 channel | 1 channel |
| Power supply | External power supply | External power supply |
| Protocol support | CAN 2.0, CAN FD, LIN 1.3 / 2.0, CAN-based UDS | In addition to the protocols at left, supports Ethernet standard protocols such as DoIP, SOME/IP and 802.1Q |
| Node configuration | — | Supports 100/1000M Master / Slave node configuration |
Delivery Process and Deliverables
Specification Analysis
Parse the customer's test specification and communication matrix, breaking down test items and priorities.
Environment Setup
Complete bench setup, device integration, network configuration and basic communication bring-up.
Test Case Development
Develop test cases and automation scripts per test item, building the signal database and diagnostic configuration.
Execution and Localization
Execute in parallel by module, recording issues and localizing them to the specific link or node.
Reporting and Regression
Output test reports and issue lists, then run regression verification after fixes.
- Network test plan: test scope, bench structure and device list
- Test case library: delivered according to the customer's template and owned by the customer
- Automated scripts: reusable test scripts and operating instructions
- Test report: output by stage, including test conclusions and issue statistics
- Issue list: defect description, reproduction path and responsibility allocation
- Training and handover: training on device usage, script development and platform operation
Our Strengths
01More Than a Decade of Bus Technology Expertise
ZD started in 2012 in Ingolstadt, Germany, and has long worked on vehicle bus technology and simulation interface devices; the solution integrates mature and stable tool chains from the industry.
02In-House Devices Ensure Consistency
The simulation interface, conversion and switching devices are all developed in-house, with controllable hardware timestamps and terminating resistors, giving greater assurance of repeatability and comparability of test results.
03R&D Strength in Both China and Germany
The solution covers both traditional CAN/LIN network testing and next-generation Ethernet network communication testing, sharing test specifications and test case assets between the German and Chinese teams.
04Customizable Test Case Library
We maintain a custom test case library with support for tailored cases, and can adjust coverage according to the customer's project milestones, vehicle platform and verification requirements.
FAQ
Is the testing done on a bench or on a real vehicle?
We already have a CANoe environment - can it be reused?
How long does network testing usually take?
Can you take on long-term on-site testing?
Need to set up a whole-vehicle network test environment?
Tell us the test target and project milestones, and we can recommend a bench structure, device configuration and staffing arrangement.