Embedded Real Time Operating Systems and the OSEK Standard

In recent years the growth of distributed architectures in automotive electronics has been well documented. It is not uncommon for advanced vehicles to contain more than 70 individual Electronic Control Units (ECU's). The use of embedded processors to gain enhancements in comfort and safety, as well as to achieve legislative requirements, has meant that the software content in vehicles has now become a significant part of the system design. This paper looks at some of the issues for the designer of embedded automotive systems and looks at the OSEK/VDX ¹ standard (Open systems and the corresponding interfaces for automotive electronics) as a way of providing a framework for addressing them.