First things first, to understand the ECU, you need to know why it was developed. Computers have been used for many years to develop F1 cars and to gather data from them to transmit back to the garages during a race. The FIA invited manufacturers of automotive electronics in 2006 to come up with a single design of the ECU for all teams across the whole of Formula One to use. The chosen design by McLaren Electronics and Microsoft, with its SQL Server 2008 database, supplied all competing F1 teams in both 2008 and 2009, and will continue to do so for 2010. The contract supplies all teams with the ECU, the ATLAS (Advanced Telemetry Linked Analysis System) Server and the ATLAS Client.
The ECU is the onboard device that gathers the data from the car’s engine, suspension system, transmission, and frame components through many sensors, encrypting it to transmit to the ATLAS Server. This then decodes the data and sends it to the ATLAS Client, which allows support teams to access the real time data on their laptops in the back of their garages. The teams can then monitor the performance of the car and inform the driver of any issues. For the top teams, such as McLaren and Ferrari, there can be several engineers constantly analysing the data which is generated by the ECU, with some of them focusing on the transmission feeds, and others on the telemetry from the engine and suspension.
Ok, so this all seems rather confusing, and unless you are an engineer, a simple fan of the sport may not feel like they need to know all this. But actually, when you peel away the in depth analysis and explanations into how it all works, it is incredibly fascinating.
So… That’s what McLaren Electronics and Microsoft provides for the current Formula One teams, and now we also know that it’s because the FIA asked for it, but why, and what does it achieve that makes it so important?
The FIA originally invited manufacturers to design a single ECU, for that simple reason: it would be the sole ECU. This ultimately meant that there would be a level playing field between all the teams, and it would also be a way to control costs within the sport. Apart from that, the ECU maintains safety, and these were the key reasons why the FIA challenged a design. It was McLaren Electronics that ultimately saw the potential of the FILESTREAM feature of the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database software and after testing its efficiency through a proof of concept test, McLaren Electronics were able to put it into production as their solution to a single ECU that would provide a database that could handle and store a high volume of data for quick and easy access. As teams generate a high volume of data from wind tunnels, simulations, and previous races and practice and test sessions, the SQL Server 2008, is able to gain the same performance from historical data such as the above examples, as well as that of real time data during the race itself, something that previous databases were unable to achieve.
So what are the benefits? One benefit of the ECU is that it saves the teams from having to conduct additional tests to gather data, as if it is already on the database, whether it is from earlier in the day, from the same circuit the year before, or from simulations, they can access it and analyse it, without having to repeat a test, and this ultimately saves money. Immediate access to historical data is another benefit. This enables the teams to access data from previous years at a specific track and from simulations in order to help them with their set up for the car over that particular weekend. The immediate access of data also enables teams to determine what may need to be changed on the car when a driver pits if he has been complaining that the car is not performing as it should be.
During a race, one to two gigabytes of data is gathered on just one car, and over the course of a year, with free practice and qualifying included, up to two to three terabytes is eventually gathered. Therefore the solution provided by McLaren Electronics is vital in terms of speed in accessing the data, and it’s also vital in terms of accurate storage. In other words, making sure no data gets lost is crucial to a Formula One team, as before the SQL Server 2008, lost data would have to have been retrieved from the car after the race: lost data that could have ultimately been needed during the race. Teams need to be able to make immediate decisions during the race, after all a lot can happen in a lap, and waiting to make the decision could be crucial to the outcome of the final standings. The endless amounts of data gathered during the race itself, through previous races at the same track, and through simulations, all being accessed immediately upon request, all helps towards the engineers being able to make swift decisions.
There is also another key benefit: the ability to work offline. The SQL Server 2008 Express enables team members to work alone away from the central database. This is important when one single engineer is working alone, perhaps with a driver, on a test rig, or while testing new equipment with a supplier. While out alone an engineer will still need to be able to access the database just like he would as part of the trackside team, and the benefit of the SQL Server 2008 Express, which can be downloaded for free, means he can access the full database wherever he is. This benefit alone shows how advanced this piece of technology is, and altogether, the solution provided by McLaren Electronics, enables all Formula One teams to constantly develop their cars, constantly improving their performance
The ECU is the onboard device that gathers the data from the car’s engine, suspension system, transmission, and frame components through many sensors, encrypting it to transmit to the ATLAS Server. This then decodes the data and sends it to the ATLAS Client, which allows support teams to access the real time data on their laptops in the back of their garages. The teams can then monitor the performance of the car and inform the driver of any issues. For the top teams, such as McLaren and Ferrari, there can be several engineers constantly analysing the data which is generated by the ECU, with some of them focusing on the transmission feeds, and others on the telemetry from the engine and suspension.
Ok, so this all seems rather confusing, and unless you are an engineer, a simple fan of the sport may not feel like they need to know all this. But actually, when you peel away the in depth analysis and explanations into how it all works, it is incredibly fascinating.
So… That’s what McLaren Electronics and Microsoft provides for the current Formula One teams, and now we also know that it’s because the FIA asked for it, but why, and what does it achieve that makes it so important?
The FIA originally invited manufacturers to design a single ECU, for that simple reason: it would be the sole ECU. This ultimately meant that there would be a level playing field between all the teams, and it would also be a way to control costs within the sport. Apart from that, the ECU maintains safety, and these were the key reasons why the FIA challenged a design. It was McLaren Electronics that ultimately saw the potential of the FILESTREAM feature of the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database software and after testing its efficiency through a proof of concept test, McLaren Electronics were able to put it into production as their solution to a single ECU that would provide a database that could handle and store a high volume of data for quick and easy access. As teams generate a high volume of data from wind tunnels, simulations, and previous races and practice and test sessions, the SQL Server 2008, is able to gain the same performance from historical data such as the above examples, as well as that of real time data during the race itself, something that previous databases were unable to achieve.
So what are the benefits? One benefit of the ECU is that it saves the teams from having to conduct additional tests to gather data, as if it is already on the database, whether it is from earlier in the day, from the same circuit the year before, or from simulations, they can access it and analyse it, without having to repeat a test, and this ultimately saves money. Immediate access to historical data is another benefit. This enables the teams to access data from previous years at a specific track and from simulations in order to help them with their set up for the car over that particular weekend. The immediate access of data also enables teams to determine what may need to be changed on the car when a driver pits if he has been complaining that the car is not performing as it should be.
During a race, one to two gigabytes of data is gathered on just one car, and over the course of a year, with free practice and qualifying included, up to two to three terabytes is eventually gathered. Therefore the solution provided by McLaren Electronics is vital in terms of speed in accessing the data, and it’s also vital in terms of accurate storage. In other words, making sure no data gets lost is crucial to a Formula One team, as before the SQL Server 2008, lost data would have to have been retrieved from the car after the race: lost data that could have ultimately been needed during the race. Teams need to be able to make immediate decisions during the race, after all a lot can happen in a lap, and waiting to make the decision could be crucial to the outcome of the final standings. The endless amounts of data gathered during the race itself, through previous races at the same track, and through simulations, all being accessed immediately upon request, all helps towards the engineers being able to make swift decisions.
There is also another key benefit: the ability to work offline. The SQL Server 2008 Express enables team members to work alone away from the central database. This is important when one single engineer is working alone, perhaps with a driver, on a test rig, or while testing new equipment with a supplier. While out alone an engineer will still need to be able to access the database just like he would as part of the trackside team, and the benefit of the SQL Server 2008 Express, which can be downloaded for free, means he can access the full database wherever he is. This benefit alone shows how advanced this piece of technology is, and altogether, the solution provided by McLaren Electronics, enables all Formula One teams to constantly develop their cars, constantly improving their performance
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