Search Results

The implementation of drive-by-wire (DbW) systems has become a prevailing issue in automotive industry. The great potential in improving vehicle performance makes this new technology outweigh traditional mechanical controls and linkages. However, it also brings new safety concerns because electronic components are more likely to fail in unpredictable manners. This requires a fault-tolerant approach for electronic systems, especially for the core of these systems – the microcontrollers. According to ISO 26262, the future international standard for functional safety of E/E systems in road vehicles (classes M, N, O), self-monitoring capability has become a necessity for microcontroller in safety-critical systems, and the highest Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL D) should be achieved. To deal with this problem, several strategies for microcontroller architecture have already been established, among which asymmetric-controller and dual-core controller are the most recommended ones.

To improve road safety the public sector is actively supporting this effort with investment in required infrastructure, enforcement in the road safety rules, and improved deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). With the development of more powerful processors, communication and sensor technologies, tools are now available to enable the industry players to meet the aforementioned challenges. The paper will describe work undertaken within the European MEDEA+ framework in the project SAPECS (Secured Architecture & Protocols for Enhanced Car Safety). The consortium of companies that worked within SAPECS broke down the requirements emerging from these complex automotive architectures into component specifications, and partitioning of software/hardware to optimise costs.