OEM Telematics: 5 x CAN Bus Data Logger with LTE to AWS S3
Case Studies / Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation
FCCC is a leading manufacturer of premium vehicle chassis. The company is part of the Daimler family and employs 650+ employees. Nearly two-thirds of all diesel walk-in van chassis sold today are made by FCCC.
What problem did you solve?
We were looking for a way to solve the challenge of high costs in outsourcing the data logging for our test vehicle fleet - along with the difficulty in getting customized reports. This drove the need to bring the process in-house.
The primary focus vehicle for our current project is the Jouley electric school bus. However, we needed a platform designed to work with any products we have under development.
How did you solve it?
Prior to using the CANedge, we utilized the Vector GL3x00 loggers. These loggers worked well, but required manual data extraction, which made them impractical for field use. In contrast, the CANedge3 + CANmod.router combo allows us to collect CAN data from 5 different CAN buses. Additionally, the LTE connectivity enables us to collect data via cellular connection to our own AWS S3 bucket. As part of this, we make use of the optional 'Super SIM' that comes with the device.
Our new data pipeline includes data collection to AWS S3, automatic download/conversion of the data and conversion/import into a National Instrument DIAdem front-end used by our engineers to conduct various analyses. Additionally, engineers are now also able to pull specific CAN logs in MDF format for analysis in Vector CANape and/or CANalyzer.
Specifically, we use the MF4 converters from CSS Electronics to convert the raw MF4 files into Vector ASC files. As part of this process, the data from the CANmod.router is demuxed so that the resulting ASC file has data in CAN channel 1, 3, 4, 5, 6. The ASC files serve as an intermediary to enable conversion into DIAdem TDMS (Technical Data Management Streaming) measurement files via the 'bus log converter' method. The TDMS files can be used directly by engineers in DIAdem. In addition, we pull data of interest from the TDMS files into a PostgreSQL database for visualization in Grafana dashboards.
"The CANedge3 + CANmod.router allows us to collect 5 x CAN via LTE, customize reporting to our unique needs - and substantially reduce costs"
What benefit has this led to?
Remote logging is now possible with automatic upload of data to an AWS cloud storage service. This is a key piece of our new data pipeline to bring logging information from our vehicles to the desktop of our design engineers.
Why did you choose the CANedge/CANmod?
We chose the devices for the remote connectivity and ability to integrate data into our own custom data pipeline.
— Jeffrey Johannessen, Functional Safety Manager
Comments by CSS Electronics
The CANedge3 enables logging of 2 x CAN/LIN. In this use case, FCCC extends this by adding a CANmod.router in 'mux-mode' on the 2nd port of the CANedge (powering it via the CANedge 5V power supply). This allows FCCC to log 1 x CAN (via CAN CH1) + 4 x CAN (via CAN CH2) into a single log file. The data from the CANmod.router is wrapped via a transport protocol to avoid ID collisions and maximize throughput. In the automated post processing, FCCC uses the MF4 converters and MF4 decoders which automatically 'demux' the data, restoring the original CAN IDs, data payloads and bus channel information.
Ready to collect 5 x CAN?
Get your CANedge today!
