Firmware Update and Data Logging During Off-Highway Test Drives

Firmware and diagnostics for off-highway vehicles and mobile machinery under real operating conditions

When off-highway vehicles such as construction equipment, agricultural machinery and other mobile working machines have reached a sufficient level of maturity, physical models are used to create prototype machines that are deployed in various test environments, routes and duty cycles. The aim of these test drives and field tests is to optimise driving behaviour, machine functions and calibrations under real operating conditions such as load, terrain, climate and usage profiles typical for construction sites, agricultural operations and heavy-duty applications.

During the test drives, the ECUs and their firmware continue to undergo a continuous development process. New software and calibration versions must be regularly installed on the machines. At the same time, diagnostic data, error codes and measured values are read out from the vehicle, analysed and used for further adjustments. Especially in off-highway development programmes with long validation phases, multiple prototypes and extended field operations result in large and continuously evolving data sets. The machine is continuously monitored and iteratively optimised across different operating regions and application scenarios.

Key challenges for firmware updates during Off-Highway field tests

Frequent flashing of new firmware and calibration levels on off-highway prototypes and test machines
Wireless access to diagnostic and flash functions while driving or during remote field operations
Reading out error codes and diagnostic data during operation and heavy-duty working cycles
Recording and evaluating large amounts of data via data loggers in mobile machinery over long operating periods
Traceability of software versions and changes within the off-highway test fleet

DSA supports OEMs with the ODX Frontloading Tester PRODIS.OFT for firmware updates of off-highway vehicle prototypes during test drives and field tests. In conjunction with WDI-2 as a wireless diagnostic and flash interface and DT-4 for continuous data acquisition while driving, update, diagnostic and analysis processes can be efficiently combined across different vehicles, routes and test scenarios..

PRODIS.OFT enables reproducible flash and test sequences, structured evaluation of diagnostic data and continuous monitoring of the machine status in off-highway environments. This speeds up calibration adjustments and supports efficient, iterative optimisation of construction and agricultural machinery prototypes under real-world operating conditions.