Define message-level acceptance checks
Turn expected message identifiers, periods, allowed timing variation, and gateway mappings into explicit checks over the supplied CAN evidence. Record the applicable conditions for each verdict.
Vehicle Networks & Communication
Test CAN communication against requirements
CAN testing checks observed communication against defined expectations for message presence, timing, signal values, and gateway routing. I turn your acceptance criteria into repeatable checks, preserve the supporting traces, and report passes, failures, and cases the available capture cannot establish.
Discuss CAN TestingProblems I can investigate
Find the behavior behind the symptom
- 01
Incorrect CAN signal value
Trace implausible or unexpected signal values through frame content, DBC definitions, scaling, timing, and surrounding traffic.
- 02
CAN gateway issue
Examine whether messages are missing, modified incorrectly, or routed to the wrong CAN network by comparing traffic across the available evidence.
- 03
ISO-TP communication failure
Analyze segmented communication for addressing, flow-control, and timing behavior, including diagnostic traffic carried over CAN.
- 04
CAN message missing
Determine where an expected CAN frame is absent from live traffic or a recording and document the evidence around the missing message.
What I can help with
Focused engineering work in Vehicle Networks & Communication
Verify decoded signal expectations
Apply the supplied DBC and compare decoded signals against specified ranges or expected transitions. Preserve the frame and timestamp that support a failed check.
Exercise repeatable communication scenarios
Use the available CANoe setup for defined stimulus and observation, or evaluate recordings when only offline evidence is available. Mark checks that cannot be executed with the supplied setup.
Package reusable evidence checks
Provide analysis scripts and trace references that let the team repeat message-presence, timing, and signal checks after a change.
What to send
Start with the evidence you already have
BLF recording
A Vector binary log containing timestamped bus communication.
ASC recording
A text-based Vector bus recording.
DBC
A CAN database defining messages and signals.
CAN dump
Raw or text-exported CAN frames.
Problem description
Observed symptoms, context, reproduction steps, and expected behavior.
How the analysis works
From recorded data to engineering findings
- 01
Agree the acceptance criteria
Identify the messages, signals, gateway paths, observation windows, and expected results from the problem description and available network definitions.
- 02
Check the recording or bench setup
Confirm capture coverage and filtering. For active cases, agree the available interface, network access, and permitted stimulus before execution.
- 03
Execute the defined checks
Evaluate each criterion with the relevant stimulus or recording. Preserve observed values and trace timestamps alongside pass, fail, or untestable results.
- 04
Repeat after an agreed change
Rerun the same checks with the same conditions and compare the evidence. Document residual failures and any differences in the setup.
What you receive
Deliverables matched to the investigation
Engineering analysis
A check-by-check report with acceptance criteria, observed results, evidence references, and explicit limits of the tested coverage.
CAN decoding results
Decoded CAN frames, signals, and interpretation notes.
DBC file
A CAN database describing messages, signals, scaling, and nodes.
Python analysis script
A maintainable Python workflow for engineering-data analysis.
Restbus simulation
A simulation of missing network nodes and their communication.
Technologies & formats
Automotive data and analysis environments
- CAN
Controller Area Network
A priority-based broadcast bus used for in-vehicle control communication.
- CAN-FD
CAN Flexible Data-rate
An extension of CAN with larger payloads and a faster data phase.
- DBC
CAN Database
A text format describing CAN messages, signals, nodes, scaling, and metadata.
- J1939
SAE J1939
A higher-layer vehicle network protocol suite using CAN, common in heavy vehicles.
- ISO-TP
ISO 15765-2 Transport Protocol
A segmented transport protocol for messages carried over CAN.
- CANoe
Vector CANoe
A development, simulation, test, and analysis environment for vehicle networks.
- CANalyzer
Vector CANalyzer
A Vector environment for recording and analyzing vehicle-network communication.
- python-can
python-can
A Python library providing a common API for CAN interfaces and messages.
- BLF
Binary Logging Format
A Vector binary container for timestamped bus communication.
- cantools
cantools
A Python package for parsing CAN databases and encoding or decoding messages.
- UDS
Unified Diagnostic Services
ISO 14229 diagnostic services for communicating with vehicle ECUs.
- CanTp
CAN Transport Protocol
The AUTOSAR transport-protocol module for segmented communication over CAN.
FAQ
Practical questions before an investigation
- Can a CAN recording prove that a communication test passed?
- A recording can support a pass only for checks whose stimulus, observation window, and expected result are known. Missing traffic may reflect the capture point or filtering. Active fault injection, controller state, and physical bus behavior require suitable access and measurements beyond a frame log.
- What can be investigated through CAN testing?
- The service covers incorrect CAN signal values, missing CAN messages, CAN gateway issues, and ISO-TP communication failures when the required evidence is available.
- Can you work from recordings instead of live traffic?
- Yes. BLF recordings, ASC recordings, CAN dumps, and DBC data can be used to decode and analyze the communication without requiring live traffic.
- Do I need a DBC file?
- A DBC file is useful for signal decoding, but raw CAN frames can still be examined for message presence, timing, routing evidence, and other observable behavior.
- Can the result include reusable analysis code?
- Yes. Where a repeatable workflow is useful, the deliverables can include a Python analysis script for engineering-data analysis.
Discuss the evidence
Discuss CAN Testing
Send the available recording, CAN dump, DBC, and problem description. I can assess the evidence and define a focused CAN testing scope.