CAN to FlexRay Migration Framework

Abstract—As FlexRay is implemented in production vehicles (e.g. BMW X5 and 7 series) there is a growing interest within the automotive industry in optimising its utilisation. FlexRay is expected to become the standard network for backbone communications, replacing CAN in this area. However the complexity and cost associated with migrating from existing CAN based systems and designs to FlexRay can prove to be a barrier in its widespread adoption. One of the biggest problems in optimising a FlexRay cycle is formalising the static segment and dynamic segment parameters. This paper describes a migration framework for the complete migration from an existing CAN based application to FlexRay based network. This migration framework defines the static (ST) segment size by using basic CAN parameters and performing task graph analysis. The resulting payload is defined before a final ST frame size is obtained. The dynamic (DYN) segment size is verified by determining the worst case response time of tasks operating in this segment. A sample adaptive cruise control (ACC) application is implemented to verify the framework