Wind River and TTTech Auto, a provider of safe software and hardware platforms for automated driving, have worked together to develop highly scalable ECUs based on networked multi-core system-on-chips (SoCs) for advanced safety-critical automotive applications.
As an underlying software platform for the Audi zFAS architecture, VxWorks maintains and monitors the safety of critical applications. The zFAS platform enables automated driving assistance features such as lane assist, adaptive cruise control, and intersection assist in vehicles including the 2018 Audi A8.
“In the imminently approaching autonomous future, automakers must keep up with a rapid pace of innovation. However, the stakes are incredibly high," said Marques McCammon, vice president of Automotive at Wind River. “By working with leaders like TTTech, Wind River is helping carmakers accelerate their development cycles to deliver innovative products while also maintaining the highest levels of safety. When passenger safety is on the line, it will be essential to turn to leaders with proven technologies and expertise in mission-critical applications.”
VxWorks is designed to host several safety-related software components side by side with non–safety-related components in the overall automotive system architecture. TTTech Auto’s platform was designed for ADAS functions, including autonomous driving and other automotive video camera–based vision applications. The platform can be connected to multiple cameras, and it features deterministic Ethernet networking capabilities.
“With the rise of connectivity and autonomous driving, the automotive environment is becoming more complex and creates new challenges,” said Georg Niedrist, senior vice president of Safety Products and Integration at TTTech Auto. “Together with a software expert like Wind River, TTTech can deliver advanced automotive platforms to help OEMs meet their demanding requirements, schedules, and, ultimately, their objectives."
VxWorks is tuned for both determinism and responsiveness. Its technology includes a modular, future-proof architecture that separates the OS kernel from applications and other packages, allowing for fixes and feature updates with minimal rework, testing, or recertification. The enhanced multicore safety scheduler enables time, resource, and space partitioning for different criticality applications to run side by side and still meet safety standards.
In addition to VxWorks software, Wind River provided TTTech Auto with board support packages, middleware development, and network stack integration. The work also included preparation of artefacts and work products for the sensor system host in accordance with functional safety standard ISO 26262, Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL).