Introducing the AUTOSAR framework

AUTOSAR is an open and standardized software architecture for the automotive industry. It was developed by a consortium of automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and tool developers. The aim is to create an industry standard for automotive software architectures that is open and accessible to all. The standard is designed to meet the technical goals of the automotive software industry: modularity, scalability, transferability, and function reusability.

The main objective of AUTOSAR is to develop a standard architecture that can be used across different automotive domains, such as powertrain, chassis control, body, and safety. This standardization aims to enable SWCs from different suppliers to work together seamlessly, reduce development costs, and facilitate the reusability of SWCs. It also helps in managing the increasing complexity of electrical and electronic systems, as well as ensuring their quality and reliability.

Here’s how the different components of the ecosystem work:

• OEMs: They are responsible for setting ECU software requirements and choosing Tier 1 suppliers to deliver the hardware and SWCs. By adopting AUTOSAR, OEMs ensure compliance with safety and regulatory standards while promoting modular, reusable, and scalable software development for seamless integration and compatibility across various automotive systems and suppliers.
• Tier 1 suppliers: A Tier 1 supplier is a company that directly supplies components or systems. It can be hardware or software to an OEM for use in vehicle production. These suppliers are considered at the top of the automotive supply chain and are responsible for providing high-quality and reliable components that meet the OEM’s specifications and requirements. Examples of Tier 1 suppliers in the automotive industry include companies that provide engines, transmissions, braking systems, steering systems, and electronics components such as infotainment systems and ECUs.
• Standard software vendors: Standard software vendors provide AUTOSAR-compliant software modules, such as communication stacks and diagnostic services, that can be easily integrated and interchanged with other SWCs. The standard software is developed following the AUTOSAR standards and can be used by Tier 1 suppliers to build more complex software modules.
• Semiconductor manufacturers: Semiconductor manufacturers in the automotive industry provide the electronic components. They ensure that future hardware and software needs of the automotive industry are met.

The AUTOSAR standard is developed and maintained through a collaborative effort involving its partners, who ensure that it remains relevant and up to date by considering the necessary use cases to support the roadmaps of users. Partners are grouped based on their membership type, with varying levels of involvement in the standard’s development, implementation, and usage. This approach encourages diverse stakeholder participation and reflects the needs and perspectives of the entire automotive ecosystem. The collaborative nature of AUTOSAR has been instrumental in its success, enabling it to become the industry standard for automotive software architectures. The main categories are as follows:

• Core partners: The core partners are BMW Group, Bosch, Continental, Daimler AG, Ford, General Motors, PSA Group, Toyota, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group. They were the initial members of the partnership and provided the funding and resources required to develop the AUTOSAR standard.
• Premium partners: A group of companies who are members of the AUTOSAR development partnership and have made significant contributions to the development and promotion of the AUTOSAR standard. Premium partners have a higher level of involvement and influence in the partnership than regular members and benefit from additional collaboration opportunities and early access to the latest AUTOSAR specifications and releases.
• Development partners: Development partners play an important role in the partnership by sharing their knowledge, expertise, and resources to help shape the future of the automotive industry.
• Associate partners: Associate partners have a lower level of involvement than core partners and premium partners, but still benefit from collaboration opportunities and access to the latest AUTOSAR specifications and release.

In summary, AUTOSAR enables all the stakeholders in the ECU development process to work together effectively by providing a common language and standardized framework. This promotes interoperability, scalability, and reuse of SWCs across different car manufacturers and reduces development time and costs while improving software quality and reliability.

Impact on traditional software development

AUTOSAR addresses the limitations of traditional automotive software development by providing a standardized approach. By promoting modularity, standardization, and scalability, AUTOSAR has made it easier to develop high-quality software that meets the increasingly demanding needs of the automotive industry. The success of AUTOSAR is evident in its widespread adoption as the industry standard for automotive software architectures.

Here are some ways in which AUTOSAR addresses the limitations of traditional software development:

• Common platform: It provides a common platform and architecture for software development, enabling collaboration between different suppliers and manufacturers.
• Modular design: It promotes modularity and standardization, making it easier to reuse SWCs across different projects and adapt to changing requirements and technologies.
• Cost-effective integration: The standardized approach to software development that AUTOSAR takes has made it easier and more cost-effective to integrate different SWCs.
• Safety and security: The framework for implementing safety and security concepts in automotive software helps to ensure the safety and security of vehicles on the road.
• Interoperability: It defines a common methodology for communication and enables ECUs from different suppliers to interoperate seamlessly.
• Consistency: The consistent approach to software development makes it easier to ensure the interoperability, maintainability, and scalability of SWCs.
• Flexibility: It promotes a modular and flexible approach to software development, making it easier to adapt to changing requirements and technologies.

In the next section, we will examine the methods used by AUTOSAR to address the limitations of traditional automotive software development. We will investigate how AUTOSAR’s common platform, modular design, cost-effective integration, safety and security, interoperability, consistency, and flexibility have transformed the industry by providing a standardized and efficient framework for developing superior automotive software.

How were these goals achieved?

The separation of infrastructure from the application is a fundamental principle of software architecture that enables software developers to focus on their core competencies and expertise in developing application software (ASW) modules that provide the unique features and functions of their product. They do not need to worry about the underlying hardware or software platform or the implementation details of the BSW and runtime environment (RTE). Instead, they can focus on their core competencies in developing ASW modules while providing standardized interfaces and services for accessing the BSW.

Note

The BSW provides low-level software services, such as drivers and communication and diagnostic services, that are necessary for the proper functioning of the ECU. It includes standardized modules that are compliant with the AUTOSAR specifications and can be easily integrated and interchanged with other BSW modules from different vendors.

The following figure shows the basic structure of this standardized interface:

Figure 1.4 – AUTOSAR Standardization

The separation of infrastructure from the application also enables the ECU to be more modular and scalable. Different ASW modules from different vendors can be easily integrated into the ECU, and new ASW modules can be added or removed without affecting the BSW or other ASW modules.

However, AUTOSAR does not provide specific solutions for individual problems or use cases. Instead, it provides a structured way to implement specific functionality in an ECU that can be adapted and customized to meet the needs of different car manufacturers and use cases.

For example, if a car manufacturer wants to implement a specific braking system, they would use the AUTOSAR framework and specifications to develop the software modules that control the braking system. AUTOSAR would provide a standardized way to interact with the microcontroller and peripheral hardware to allow the implementation of the braking functionality. However, it would not provide specific guidance on how to manage the braking system or how to implement specific features or functions. The following case study provides a more detailed example.

Case study – Developing an ECU in the AUTOSAR framework

An automotive supplier is developing a new radar sensor system for autonomous driving applications using AUTOSAR. The challenge is in developing a highly accurate and reliable radar sensor system that can detect objects and provide warning signals to the vehicle’s control system as soon and accurately as possible.

The supplier has decided to adopt AUTOSAR, which provides a standardized set of interfaces and services for the development and integration of SWCs. The AUTOSAR BSW layer provides a set of pre-built software modules that abstract the hardware-specific details and provide a unified interface for the ASW layer to access the hardware functions.

By using AUTOSAR, the supplier is able to reduce the development time and cost required to integrate multiple SWCs, as well as reduce the risk of incompatibilities or errors. The standardized interfaces and services provided by AUTOSAR enable the software engineers to focus on developing the application-specific features of the radar sensor system, rather than spending time on developing and integrating basic software services.

For example, the application engineers don’t have to worry about how to store data in non-volatile memory, how communication works, or whether to use a controller area network (CAN) or Ethernet as a medium of transmission.

Instead, they only focused on implementing warning algorithms that would detect objects and provide warning signals to the vehicle’s control system.

Now that we’ve understood the need for AUTOSAR, let’s look at its standards in more detail.