Simulation of Mixed Critical In-vehicular Networks

Future automotive applications ranging from advanced driver assistance to autonomous driving will largely increase demands on in-vehicular networks. Data flows of high bandwidth or low latency requirements, but in particular many additional communication relations will introduce a new level of complexity to the in-car communication system. It is expected that future communication backbones which interconnect sensors and actuators with ECU in cars will be built on Ethernet technologies. However, signalling from different application domains demands for network services of tailored attributes, including real-time transmission protocols as defined in the TSN Ethernet extensions. These QoS constraints will increase network complexity even further. Event-based simulation is a key technology to master the challenges of an in-car network design. This chapter introduces the domain-specific aspects and simulation models for in-vehicular networks and presents an overview of the car-centric network design process. Starting from a domain specific description language, we cover the corresponding simulation models with their workflows and apply our approach to a related case study for an in-car network of a premium car

Formal Modelling and Verification of the Clock Synchronization Algorithm of FlexRay

The hundreds of electronic control devices used in an automotive system can effectively communicate with one another, thanks to an in-vehicle network (IVN) like FlexRay. Even though every node in the network will be running on its local clock, a global notion of time is essential. The clock synchronisation algorithm accomplishes this global time between the nodes in FlexRay. In this era of self-driving cars, the vehicle’s safety is paramount. For the vehicle to operate safely and smoothly, timely communication of information is critical, and the clock synchronisation algorithm plays a vital role in this. It is essential to formally test the clock synchronisation algorithm’s correctness. This paper attempts to model and verify the clock synchronisation algorithm of FlexRay using formal methods, which in turn enhance the reliability of safety-critical automotive systems. The clock synchronisation is modelled as a network of six timed automata in the UPPAAL model checker. Three system models were developed, a model for an ideal clock, another for a drifting clock, and a third model considering propagation delay. The precision of the clocks is verified to be within the prescribed limits. Simulation studies are also conducted on the model to ensure that the clock’s drift is always within the precision