<<BACK TO HOME

Automotive electronics standards grouping Autosar has published its Release 4.0 of its basic architecture for automotive applications. The new release updates standards to take account of hardware changes, such as multi-core processors.

The publication of Release 4.0 marks the end of the second phase of Autosar, a grouping of automotive companies and suppliers that has been working since 2003 to develop open systems for automotive software.

The new release adds technical and functional capabilities in areas such as functional safety, architecture, communication stack, methodology and templates, and application interfaces.

Autosar spokesman Simon Fürst said: "One of the main goals for Phase II was to broaden massively the support for new hardware technologies such as multi-core processors.

"Release 4.0 provides all features ECUs of the next generation of cars will need. This includes support for functional safety, multi core microcontroller, LIN 2.1 and FlexRay 3.0 support and a timing mode."

The number of application interfaces is increasing by around 320 to 540. These are standardised in five domains: body and comfort; powertrain; chassis; occupant and pedestrian safety; and human-machine interface.

Fürst said the new release had been closely aligned with the Field Bus Exchange Format. The release also supports large data types and dynamic length signals, where the previous 3.0 release restricted signals to 8 bytes because of the CAN and LIN frames format.

The full specification is accessible at www.autosar.org. The Autosar consortium includes Ford, Toyota, Daimler, BMW, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Volkswagen, as well as suppliers Bosch and Continental.

© PE Publishing Ltd, 2010