VSS-Lib: Vehicle Signal Specification Library

Vehicle Signal Specifications Python Library based on COVESA (Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance) and their specification.

VSS-Lib is considered a middleware Python library and D-Bus service designed to interact with vehicle signals according to the Vehicle Signal Specification (VSS). It supports vendor-specific models and can emit random or real-time hardware signals to the D-Bus interface. The library also allows attaching electronics vendors to vehicle models.

Table of Contents

1. VSS-Lib: Vehicle Signal Specification Library
2. Features
3. Benefits of VSS-Lib
4. Requirements
5. Installation
   • Step 1: Clone the Repository
   • Step 2: Install Python Dependencies
   • Step 3: Install the Library
   • Step 4: Install the Systemd Service
   • Step 5: Configure the VSS Paths
6. Monitoring Signals on the D-Bus Interface
7. Sending Hardware Signals
8. Uninstalling
9. Makefile
10. Contributing
11. License

Features

• Emit random vehicle signals based on QM, ASIL, or UserPreference.
• Handle real-time hardware signals from baremetal devices.
• Attach electronics vendors to vehicle models for simulation.
• Monitor D-Bus for vehicle signal data.

Benefits of VSS-Lib

1. Standardization and Interoperability

• VSS-Lib provides a standardized framework for defining and managing vehicle signals across different vendors, making it easier to share, interpret, and exchange data across the ecosystem.
• A standardized approach reduces fragmentation, ensuring vendors can work with other systems more seamlessly.

2. Time and Cost Efficiency

• Developing proprietary software to handle vehicle signals can be expensive and time-consuming. By using VSS-Lib, vendors leverage an existing solution, allowing them to focus on other core aspects of their products.
• VSS-Lib already comes with pre-built functionality for signal management, reducing the need for vendors to reinvent the wheel.

3. Compliance with Industry Trends

• VSS-Lib is aligned with industry initiatives like COVESA VSS, ensuring that vendors stay in line with industry standards.
• Vendors can rely on VSS-Lib to maintain compliance with increasing regulatory requirements for data sharing and signal management.

4. Modular and Extensible

• VSS-Lib is designed to be modular, allowing vendors to customize and extend it based on their specific needs without building a new system.
• Vendors can easily attach their specific signals, protocols, and data structures while benefiting from the standardized structure.

5. Easier Collaboration Across Vendors

• When different electronics and car vendors work together, using VSS-Lib makes collaboration smoother, especially when integrating electronics from multiple suppliers.

6. Future-Proofing

• VSS-Lib is built to accommodate future changes in technology and regulation. Vendors can rely on the VSS-Lib community to handle changes in signal standards and requirements.

7. Open Source Community and Support

• VSS-Lib benefits from constant development, improvements, and community support, leading to faster bug fixes and enhancements.

8. Compatibility Across Industries

• VSS-Lib provides a unified structure that can be adapted for various industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical devices, and drones.

9. Focus on Hardware Innovation

• Vendors can focus on hardware development and improving product capabilities without developing custom software, leveraging VSS-Lib as a common communication layer.

10. Freedom from Interference integration

• Out of box Freedom from Interference tests based executed daily based in real data from vendors specs.

and much more...

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• pydbus for D-Bus interaction
• pyyaml
• toml
• invoke
• Systemd for managing the D-Bus service

Installation

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/vss-lib.git
cd vss-lib

Step 2: Install Python Dependencies

Make sure you have Python 3.10+ installed. You can create a virtual environment to manage dependencies:

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

Step 3: Install the Library

Install the library and the VSS D-Bus demo service:

sudo pip install .
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable vss-dbus.service
sudo systemctl start vss-dbus.service
sudo journalctl -u vss-dbus.service -f # Monitor the deploy
sudo dbus-monitor --system "interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals" # See all signals being sent

Start monitoring the Car Manufacturers' vendors and partners "speaking" the Vehicle Signal Specification (VSS) protocol on top of Fedora, CentOS.

sudo dbus-monitor --system "interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals"

signal time=1725863086.478979 sender=:1.9701 -> destination=(null destination) serial=184 path=/com/vss_lib/VehicleSignals; interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals; member=SignalEmitted
   string "Electronics.Bosch.ParkingSensorStatus.max"
   double 1.88863
signal time=1725863088.478907 sender=:1.9701 -> destination=(null destination) serial=185 path=/com/vss_lib/VehicleSignals; interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals; member=SignalEmitted
   string "Speed.min"
   double 49.5526
signal time=1725863090.479247 sender=:1.9701 -> destination=(null destination) serial=186 path=/com/vss_lib/VehicleSignals; interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals; member=SignalEmitted
   string "BrakeFluidLevel.datatype"
   double 48.5111
signal time=1725863092.480390 sender=:1.9701 -> destination=(null destination) serial=187 path=/com/vss_lib/VehicleSignals; interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals; member=SignalEmitted
   string "Electronics.Renesas.NavigationAccuracy.datatype"
   double 11.383
signal time=1725863094.479111 sender=:1.9701 -> destination=(null destination) serial=188 path=/com/vss_lib/VehicleSignals; interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals; member=SignalEmitted
   string "Speed.unit"
   double 47.296
signal time=1725863096.479761 sender=:1.9701 -> destination=(null destination) serial=189 path=/com/vss_lib/VehicleSignals; interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals; member=SignalEmitted
   string "Electronics.Renesas.NavigationAccuracy.unit"
   double 6.26474

(In a second terminal, see the containers created sending the ASIL and QM signals to the VSS DBUS manager demo using VSS specs):

vss-lib (main) $ sudo podman ps
[sudo] password for douglas:
CONTAINER ID  IMAGE                                COMMAND               CREATED             STATUS             PORTS       NAMES
9a5937f3a82f                                       /sbin/init            54 minutes ago      Up 54 minutes                  qm
b5659436d457  localhost/toyota_vss_image:latest    sh -c /usr/lib/py...  About a minute ago  Up About a minute              toyota_vss_container
e62bf9a0e121  localhost/bmw_vss_image:latest       sh -c /usr/lib/py...  About a minute ago  Up About a minute              bmw_vss_container
866ad65b24b9  localhost/ford_vss_image:latest      sh -c /usr/lib/py...  About a minute ago  Up About a minute              ford_vss_container
387283dc83e8  localhost/honda_vss_image:latest     sh -c /usr/lib/py...  About a minute ago  Up About a minute              honda_vss_container
1e7cbb90f017  localhost/jaguar_vss_image:latest    sh -c /usr/lib/py...  About a minute ago  Up About a minute              jaguar_vss_container
212b103ffd6a  localhost/mercedes_vss_image:latest  sh -c /usr/lib/py...  About a minute ago  Up About a minute              mercedes_vss_container
161f79e61eb7  localhost/volvo_vss_image:latest     sh -c /usr/lib/py...  About a minute ago  Up About a minute              volvo_vss_container

Step 4

: Install the Systemd Service

To enable and start the D-Bus service, follow these steps:

1. Copy the systemd service file to the appropriate directory:

sudo cp systemd/vss-dbus.service /etc/systemd/system/

2. Reload the systemd daemon:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

3. Enable the D-Bus service to start at boot:

sudo systemctl enable vss-dbus.service

4. Start the service:

sudo systemctl start vss-dbus.service

5. Check the status of the service:

sudo systemctl status vss-dbus.service

Step 5: Configure the VSS Paths

Ensure that the VSS configuration file /etc/vss/vss.config is correctly set up with paths to the vendor-specific VSS files.

Example configuration:

[global]
vspec_path=/usr/share/vss-lib/

[vehicle_toyota]
vspec_file=${vspec_path}toyota.vspec

[vehicle_bmw]
vspec_file=${vspec_path}bmw.vspec

Monitoring Signals on the D-Bus Interface

Once the D-Bus service is running, you can monitor the random signals emitted by the VSS D-Bus service using dbus-monitor. This will show the signals in real-time as they are emitted.

Run the following command:

dbus-monitor "interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals"

You should see random signals being emitted, similar to the following:

signal sender=:1.102 -> dest=(null destination) serial=44 path=/com/vss_lib/VehicleSignals; interface=com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals; member=EmitHardwareSignal
   string "Speed"
   double 80.0

Sending Hardware Signals

If you want to send hardware signals from a Python script, you can use the D-Bus client included in this project:

from pydbus import SystemBus

def send_hardware_signal(signal_name, value):
    bus = SystemBus()
    vss_service = bus.get("com.vss_lib.VehicleSignals")
    vss_service.EmitHardwareSignal(signal_name, value)

# Example: Sending a speed signal with a value of 80
send_hardware_signal("Speed", 80)

Uninstalling

To stop and disable the D-Bus service:

sudo systemctl stop vss-dbus.service
sudo systemctl disable vss-dbus.service

To uninstall the library and clean up:

pip uninstall vss-lib
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/vss-dbus.service
sudo rm /etc/vss/vss.config

Makefile

$ make help
Available commands:
  make                    - Alias for 'make python' to install the Python package
  make python             - Install the Python package using 'sudo pip install .'
  make python_uninstall   - Uninstall the Python package using 'sudo pip uninstall vss_lib'
  make cpython            - Convert Python files to Cython (.pyx), build C extensions
  make cpython_uninstall  - Remove Cython generated files and build artifacts
  make help               - Show this help message and explain each target

Contributing

Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request if you'd like to contribute to the project.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for more details.