A Prototype Distributed Architecture for Safety Critical Automotive Systems

This paper describes a prototype distributed architecture which is suitable for future safety-critical automotive systems like brake-by-wire (BBW) and steer-by-wire (SBW). It includes a description of a multiple ECU HIL system that was used to validate the implementation. This architecture is analyzed in terms of safety, reliability, cost and communications requirements. A “dual duplex” system is also proposed as a potential solution for more complex applications.