Zusammenfassung
In den letzten Jahren hat der Umfang von Elektronik im Fahrzeug wesentlich zugenommen. Aktuelle Fahrzeuge stellen ein komplexes, verteiltes elektronisches System dar. Die große Anzahl an elektronischen Steuergeräten (ECUs) und die daraus erforderlichen Datentransfers benötigen eine hohe Bandbreite und verlässliche Kommunikationssysteme. Flexray beschreibt ein Kommunikationsprotokoll, das diese Anforderungen erfüllt. Aufgrund der höheren Datenrate und der konsequenten Bitlängenreduktion, die Flexray im Gegensatz zu den Vorgängern bietet, gibt es einschränkende Vorgaben. Eines der Hauptziele von Kommunikationsnetzwerkdesignern ist das Sicherstellen der Signalintegrität am Analogbus. Um Designprobleme vorherzusagen und Architekturentscheidungen zu unterstützen, arbeitet man mit Verhaltenssimulationen. Dieser Beitrag erklärt die Hauptgründe für die Analyse der elektrisch physikalischen Schicht (EPL), zählt die Vorteile von Verhaltenssimulationen auf und bietet eine detaillierte Übersicht über die Herausforderungen des Netzwerkdesigns und dessen Verifikation. Außerdem werden Auswirkungen unterschiedlicher Aspekte der Signalintegrität und folglich der Kommunikationsqualität und der Systemrobustheit anhand von geeigneten Anwendungsfällen, wie Topologieentscheidungen und Alterungserscheinungen, aufgezeigt.
Summary
In the last few years the amount of electronics inside cars has increased significantly. Current vehicles have implemented highly distributed electronic systems. The high number of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and the high amount of data which must be exchanged require high bandwidth and reliable communication systems. Flexray is the communication protocol developed to fulfill these requirements. Due to its higher data rate and consequent bit length reduction, Flexray has more restrictive specifications than its precursor. One of the main goals of the communication network designers is on ensuring sufficient signal integrity at the analog bus. Behavioral simulations can be a useful tool for forecasting design problems and for supporting architecture decision. In this context, the paper explains the main reasons for analyzing the Electrical Physical Layer (EPL), lists the advantages of using behavioral simulations and provides a detailed overview of the challenges related to network design and verification. Moreover, it illustrates the impact of different aspects by way of dedicated use cases, such as topology decision and aging effects, on the signal integrity and therefore on communication quality and system robustness.
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Muller, C., Valle, M. Design and simulation of automotive communication networks: the challenges. Elektrotech. Inftech. 128, 228–233 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00502-011-0008-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00502-011-0008-6