The future roadmap of in-vehicle network processing: a HW-centric (R-)evolution

© 2022 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.The automotive industry is undergoing a deep revolution. With the race towards autonomous driving, the amount of technologies, sensors and actuators that need to be integrated in the vehicle increases exponentially. This imposes new great challenges in the vehicle electric/electronic (E/E) architecture and, especially, in the In-Vehicle Network (IVN). In this work, we analyze the evolution of IVNs, and focus on the main network processing platform integrated in them: the Gateway (GW). We derive the requirements of Network Processing Platforms that need to be fulfilled by future GW controllers focusing on two perspectives: functional requirements and structural requirements. Functional requirements refer to the functionalities that need to be delivered by these network processing platforms. Structural requirements refer to design aspects which ensure the feasibility, usability and future evolution of the design. By focusing on the Network Processing architecture, we review the available options in the state of the art, both in industry and academia. We evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each architecture in terms of the coverage provided for the functional and structural requirements. In our analysis, we detect a gap in this area: there is currently no architecture fulfilling all the requirements of future automotive GW controllers. In light of the available network processing architectures and the current technology landscape, we identify Hardware (HW) accelerators and custom processor design as a key differentiation factor which boosts the devices performance. From our perspective, this points to a need - and a research opportunity - to explore network processing architectures with a strong HW focus, unleashing the potential of next-generation network processors and supporting the demanding requirements of future autonomous and connected vehicles.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

ZnO nanoparticles coated with oleic acid as additives for a polyalphaolefin lubricant

In this work, ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully synthesized and coated with oleic acid (OA). The mean diameter of these NPs (ZnO-OA) was around 11.5 nm, their core was characterized by XRD and their coating by FTIR and Raman. Homogeneous dispersions at different concentrations (0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 wt%) of ZnO-OA in polyalphaolefin 40 (PAO40) oil were thermophysically and tribologically characterized. Both density and viscosity values increased with the concentration of NPs, reaching relative increments of 0.5% and 4.0%, respectively, for the 1 wt% nanodispersion. Tribological tests were performed at 353.15 K using an Anton Paar MCR 302 rheometer equipped with a tribological ball-on three-pins configuration testing module. Regarding the tribological behavior, the optimal concentration was 0.25 wt% of ZnO-OA (25% of reduction in the friction coefficient and 82% wear reduction in terms of cross sectional area, respect to those obtained with the neat base oil). The rolling mechanism owing to the spherical shape of the nanoadditives, transforming sliding friction into rolling friction, and the mending effect could explain the better tribological performance of nanolubricants with respect to that of neat PAO40. In addition, the presence of PAO40, ZnO-OA NPs and iron oxides was evidenced from confocal Raman microscopy on the worn surfaces obtained from tribological test with PAO40 + 0.25 wt% ZnO-OA dispersionFunding for this work has been provided by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, FEDER in Spanish) through the ENE2017-86425-C2-2-R project, and by the Xunta de Galicia through ED431C 2020/10S

Tumor carcinoide de ovario asociado con estreñimiento severo Ovarian carcinoid tumor associated to severe constipation

Se describe el caso de una paciente con estreñimiento severo, refractario al tratamiento médico, a quien se realizó laparotomía por hallazgo de masa anexial que fue reportada como tumor tipo carcinoide estrumal de ovario. En el posoperatorio hubo mejoría de su cuadro de estreñimiento, lo cual posiblemente esté explicado por la remoción del tumor productor del péptido YY. Se presentan datos clínicos, patológicos y se hace una revisión de la literatura.We present a patient with severe constipation, unresponsive to medical treatment, who was operated because of a pelvic mass which was reported as an ovarian strumal carcinoid on pathology examination. At the postoperative period, stools were more frequent, possibly because of resection of the peptide YY producing tumor. The clinical features and pathologic findings are presented here. A review of the literature is made

Elastic gateway SoC proof of concept: experiments design and performance evaluation

© 2023 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Mobility as we know it is rapidly changing. With the move towards autonomous and connected vehicles, the whole automotive industry is undergoing important changes faster than ever. One of the areas largely affected by these changes is the electric/electronics architecture and the in-vehicle network. This is because the number of sensors and actuators required to achieve the new goals has increased notoriously, and the exchange of information between them needs to happen in a deterministic, safe and reliable way. One of the central pieces of the new concept for vehicular networks is the gateway controller, since it is the one in charge of the exchange of information between the different elements of the network. In this work, we analyze the implications of the changes in the vehicular network architecture from the perspective of applications processing. This analysis shows the rationale behind the integration of new technologies that are required in future gateway controllers. Then, we evaluate the novel Elastic Gateway (eGW) System on Chip (SoC) as a high performance network processor that enables the integration of the wide variety of technologies required, supporting future vehicular networks. We also present the framework used to emulate the vehicular network as well as the methodology used for the deployment and validation of the Proof of Concept (PoC) for the different use cases. Finally, we demonstrate through experimental results how our PoC for eGW is able to meet the requirements of future network processing devices.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Loopback strategy for in-vehicle network processing in automotive gateway network on chip

In this work, authors introduce an innovative loopback strategy for In-Vehicle Network (IVN) processing in automotive gateway (GW) Network on Chip. The new proposed architecture is fully HW centric, and allows performing any IVN processing algorithms without intervention from the CPU. In essence, the loopback strategy allows for adapting the number of stages in the pipeline of the processing stage by betting on the centralization of the processing resources and recirculating frames from output to input when further stages are needed. It permits even to select to which stage to send them depending on the processing required, optimizing thus the number of stages traversed by frames and consequently reducing latency. The processing unit is built as a stack of parallel tasks with the required interconnection resources that allow performing any processing over any frame, and to handle several frames in parallel. With this architecture, the GW data path is fully adaptable per frame, optimizing latency and Quality of Service, allowing for fulfilling the high demanding requirements of future IVNs.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Traffic shaping engine for time sensitive networking integration within in-vehicle networks

© 2021 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.In this work authors present a Traffic Shaping Engine (TSE) intended for the next generation of Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) compliant Network/System on Chip (NoC/SoC) devices, targeting especially the automotive industry. The TSE provides a new layer of abstraction that allows to integrate all the TSN standards related to traffic shaping that are applicable to In-Vehicle Networks (IVNs) according to IEEE P802.1DG, providing a common interface for the management of the shapers, independently of the TSN algorithms in place. The TSE provides a Hardware (HW) architecture that solves the traffic shaping processing and adaptation to network status (load balancing) fully autonomously, without intervention from the CPU. The TSE is designed as a coarse-grain configurable HW co-processor or HW Accelerator (HWA) that can be attached to the system CPU, which follows a Software Defined Networking approach. It provides the right interface and set of parameters to handle all the required traffic shaping algorithms in a common and centralized manner in the control plane, while keeping a common data plane regardless of the traffic shaping processing required. The proposed strategy allows to minimize latency and maximize throughput and Quality of Service, contributing towards future automotive Gateway solutions for IVNs with stringent real-time routing and tunneling constraints.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Loopback strategy for TSN-compliant traffic queueing and shaping in automotive gateways

© 2021 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.In this work, authors present a Hardware (HW)based loopback strategy which is a new paradigm in networkprocessing, for HW efficient and cost-effective integration of TimeSensitive Networking (TSN) functionalities within automotiveGateways (GWs). This innovative HW architecture permits tomanage the complexity of TSN functionalities integration withinIn-Vehicle Networks (IVNs) by reusing the already existing HWresources in GWs, interconnected in such a way that allowsto perform all the required processing, independently of theTSN algorithms in place. The proposed architecture followsthe Software Defined Networking (SDN) approach, separatingcontrol plane and data plane. The data plane is kept as simpleas possible to maximize performance and reduce latency, whilethe complexity of the different TSN algorithms integration ishandled within the control plane. Furthermore, it provides fullyautonomous management of the TSN algorithms in HW, withoutintervention of the CPU. The newly introduced loopback pathprovides the capability to send frames from the egress stage backto the processing stage, to be processed again when required,allowing also to replicate them and independently route themwherever needed by the application. The loopback is also scalable,flexible and modular allowing to interconnect as many loopbacksas required by the network device. It also allows to process framesfrom the loopback path in parallel with frames coming fromingress ports, having thus no negative impact in the throughput ofthe network device. Moreover, it has a strong focus in low latency,securing a fast track for the loopback path which allows tokeep the device performance under control, contributing towardsfuture automotive TSN-compliant networking solutions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Build automation framework for design validation of automotive gateway controllers

© 2022 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Complex systems require an appropriate development methodology through the complete design lifecycle, from concept definition to system validation. In the end, the value and performance of a design are limited by how well it can be tested and validated. In this work, authors present an automatic framework for design validation of automotive Gateway controllers. The framework covers the validation process, going from test-case specification to results delivery in a fully automatic way. The framework relies on the use of standard Packet-CAPture (PCAP) files with frame traces, as a mean of injecting stimuli in the system and of output recording. This allows to repeat and reproduce experiments, following ACM guidelines. The data processing required to analyze the test results is done taking these PCAP files as input, allowing to automate the data analysis in a standardized way. The test files are automatically generated in the framework according to the design files and the test configuration selected by the system architect, providing a fast, flexible, scalable and human-error-free validation methodology. The design files of the system are also automated via a build automation framework for gateway design, introduced by authors in previous work. The design automation framework covered the automatic Design & Development of GW devices, and now the design validation framework covers the automatic Verification & Validation steps. Therefore, with the new build automation framework for design validation, the full design lifecycle of automotive gateway controllers following the V-model is completed. Finally, the validation framework provides both simulation and in-target testing capabilities, relying on the standard PCAP files strategy, getting the best of both worlds - simulation and in-target testing - blending digital with physical, and completing the last step of the product design life cycle, in a fully automatic way.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Elastic queueing engine for time sensitive networking

In this work we introduce the concept of Elastic Queueing Engine (EQE) for Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) which is a new networking-optimized queueing strategy designed to maximize Quality of Service (QoS) and usability of resources in time sensitive networks. The proposed dynamic run-time adaptation of queues to network status exploits usability of resources by introducing three new degrees of elasticity in Hardware (HW), i.e., the system is able to dynamically adapt to events in incoming traffic by optimizing the usage of available resources. The three new degrees of elasticity introduced by EQE are: dynamic queues size, dynamic Internal Priority Value (IPV) management and dynamic Gate Control List (GCL). Apart from inventing the queueing closed-loop control algorithms, EQE synthesizes these three functionalities in HW as co-processors attached to the system CPU to guarantee a real-time response to ingress frames, aimed at contributing towards fail-safe and failoperational In-Vehicle Network (IVN) solutions. Our results show that as long as there is available memory in the system, EQE for TSN can completely avoid frame drops in scenarios where static queues systems would be compromised, while other network KPIs (maximum latency, cost) remain similar to implementations without the proposed new features. Index Terms—Time Sensitive Networking, In-Vehicle Networks, Queueing, Gate Control List, Internal Priority Value, Functional Safety, Fail Operational, Gateway, Quality of Service.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Traballo social en alzhéimer e outras demencias neurodexenerativas: Primeiro manual especializado en alzhéimer e outras demencias neurodexenerativas

Age is the main factor in the appearance of some dementia. With the increase in life expectancy, the number of people with dementia is also increasing, and with that, the number of non-professional carers. The creation of a manual specialized in social work in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative dementia was born as a result of the information dementia of this type of caregivers, mostly residents in rural areas and who do not have adequate proximity services. As a result of the joint work of social work professionals during more than 20 years of experience, this document was created that unifies work criteria in order to bring information and guidance in dementia to all carers and serve as a reference for other professionals of the area in relation to the methodology of work.A idade é o principal factor de aparición dalgunha demencia. Co aumento da esperanza de vida, o número de persoas con demencia tamén se está vendo incrementado, e con eles, o número de persoas coidadoras non profesionais. A creación dun manual especializado en traballo social en alzhéimer e outras demencias neurodexenerativas nace a raíz da demanda de información deste tipo de coidadores, maioritariamente residentes no rural e que non contan con servizos de proximidade adecuados. Como resultado do traballo conxunto dos profesionais de traballo social durante máis de 20 anos de experiencia, naceu este documento que unifica criterios de traballo co fin de achegar información e orientación en materia de demencias a todas as persoas coidadoras así como servir de referencia para outros profesionais da área en relación a metodoloxía de traballo.La edad es el principal factor de aparición de alguna demencia. Con el aumento de la esperanza de vida, el número de personas con demencia también se está viendo incrementado, y con ello, el número de personas cuidadoras no profesionales. La creación de un manual especializado en trabajo social en alzhéimer y otras demencia neurodegenerativas nace a raíz de la demencia de información de este tipo de cuidadores, mayoritariamente residentes en el rural y que no cuentan con servicios de proximidad adecuados. Como resultado del trabajo conjunto de los profesionales del trabajo social durante más de 20 años de experiencia, nació este documento que unifica criterios de trabajo con el fin de acercar información y orientación en materia de demencias a todas las personas cuidadoras así como servir de referencia para otros profesionales del área en relación a la metodología de trabajo