PowerPoint Presentation

Zonal EE Architecture:

Towards a Fully Automotive Ethernet–Based Vehicle

Infrastructure

Jochen Klaus-Wagenbrenner

September 24, 2019

Agenda

• Company Background

• Automotive Cockpit & ADAS/AD Technology Trends

• Motivation and Impacts for a New EE Architecture

• Zonal EE Architecture

• Architecture Development

• Power Distribution

• Zonal Gateways and Super Cores

• Example for Topology Optimization

• Service-Oriented Architecture

• Challenges

• Summary

Visteon Product Portfolio

Comprehensive Cockpit Electronics Portfolio

Source: Rankings from 2016 ABI Research and IHS Markit.

Instrument

clusters

Head-up

displays

Infotainment Displays Self-drivingConnectivityCockpit

computer

Visteon Market Position

Top 5

Connected car

Tier 1 supplier

Rank

Digital clusters

Head-up displays

Rank

Center stack displays

Automotive Cockpit & ADAS/AD Technology Trends

ECU

Consolidation

Connected

Car

Cockpit for

Autonomous

Digital

Cockpit

New

Architecture

MACRO TRENDS AUTOMOTIVE

COCKPIT AND ADAS TRENDS

Autonomous

Connected

Electric

Shared

L2+/L3

Highway

L3/

Experimental L4

Motorways

L4/L5

2024 2027

2030

2021

ECU Consolidation Roadmap

Central Computing for Optimized Cost, Weight, Power Distribution, Security, Flexibility

Reduces cost, weight and power

consumption

ECUs in a car

30 - 100+

Consolidation of ECUs into

domain controllers

Leverages silicon and software

innovations

Parallel computing carrier offer

redundancy and safety

Service-Oriented Architecture

(SOA) direct memory access

Open scalable platform for OEM

system integration

Domain ECUs

Modular

Redundant Computing Platform

Yesterday Today Tomorrow Future

Dynamic configuration and

seamless redundancy

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

network access oriented

Blade upgradeable concept

Central Computing Platform

Compute 1

Compute 2 Compute 1

Motivation for a New EE Architecture

EE Architecture Is About to Change

• Current EE architectures with domain controllers and a central gateway have

grown over time and became very complex:

• 3

heaviest part up to 80 kg

• Absolute length of up to 5 km

• 3

highest cost component, with a high cost of

labor (1000+ production minutes)

• Todays trends such as automated driving

increase significantly the demand for the

wiring harness:

• Increasing number of actuators and sensors

• Increasing data processing capabilities and

required data bandwidth in the vehicle

• Increasing need of intelligent power distribution

Impacts on EE Architecture

Automotive Ethernet TSN Transforms Future EE Architectures

• System architecture:

• Car wiring harness

• Organization and design of ECUs

• Peripheral devices: actuators and sensors

• Cloud connection

• Software architecture:

• Application and services

• Middleware and OS/BSP (Adaptive AUTOSAR)

• Game changers:

• Time Sensitive Networking (TSN)*

• Conversion into pure IP-based end2end real-time communication network

• Intelligent power distribution will be aligned with data distribution in the new

EE architecture at the same time

System Architecture Software Architecture

TSN*

impacts enables

Vehicle Zonal EE Architecture Tomorrow

• Zonal approach including first level

of consolidation in three domains:

• ADAS Super Core

• Body Super Core

• Cockpit Super Core

• Automotive Ethernet TSN

backbone with high bandwidth

and deterministic real-time

communication facilities

• Sensors and actuators are

connected to zonal gateway ECUs

Communication backbone

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU

Automotive

Ethernet TSN

Front left

Middle

left

Rear left

Front

right

Middle

right

Rear

right

Super Core 2

Super Core 1

Front

Super Core 3

Vehicle Zonal EE Architecture Future

• Further consolidation of the

processing units

• Processing blades provide scalable

computational power

• Automotive Ethernet TSN

backbone architecture reused

• Zonal architecture blends upcoming

vehicle functions and technologies

with savings in weight and cost

Communication backbone

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU

Automotive

Ethernet TSN

Front left

Middle

left

Rear left

Front

right

Middle

right

Rear

right

Front

Super Core

Vehicle Zonal Intelligent Power Distribution

• Dual battery scenario with

hierarchical power distribution

• Promoting the application of

electronic switches and fuses

• Integration in zonal gateways

allow for novel applications:

• Virtualizing the central fuse box

• Tailored fuse characteristics

• Intelligent power management:

load optimization and power saving

• Advanced fault prediction based on

current and voltage sensing

• Additional savings due to fuse

and load optimization

Automotive

Ethernet TSN

Front left

Middle

left

Rear left

Front

right

Front

Middle

right

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU

Power distribution

Battery

Super Core

Rear

right

Vehicle Zonal EE Architecture

Zonal

Gateway

I2C, I3C, CSI, DSI, I2S

Automotive

Ethernet

10BaseT1s

100BaseT1

1000BaseT1

Multi GiG

LIN, CAN, PSI5, UART, SPI

PCIe, GMSLx,

FPDLx

Automotive

Ethernet

Multi GiG

Automotive Ethernet /

Wireless

Fast Ethernet (OBD)

Multi GiG

Super Core

eSwitches, eFuses

Zonal Gateway ECU

• Provides and distributes data & power and supports

any feature available in this specific vehicle zone

• Zone is a local vehicle specific portion of the vehicle

• Supports any kind of interface for sensors,

actuators, displays (network difference or signals)

• 10BaseT1s could replace other interfaces like CAN

FD, FlexRay, etc.

• Act as gateway, switch and as smart junction box

Super Core - Central Computing Platform

• Acts as inCar application server supporting

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

• Multi SoCs-based control unit with Multi GiG

interface

• Specific SoCs (e.g. for AI)

• Fully scalable and upgradable platform

• Connects to Edge and Cloud back-end

• May act also as zonal gateway

Zonal Gateway ECU Design Approach

• Provide functionality for the vehicle zone

• Switch for IP devices and backbone

• Gateway for legacy devices (LIN, CAN, ...)

• Power delivery (PoDL, power cables)

• eSwitch/eFuse functionality

• Additional computation power capability

• Scalable

• MCU and application cores

• eFuse/high side power distribution

• Switch and gateway port count

• ASIL levels

• Mechanics

• Sealed and not sealed according build-in position

• Small footprint

• Moderate power dissipation

• High power distribution capability

PoDL - Power over Data Line

Ethernet

Switch

Main MCU

App

Core

Complex

RT Core

Complex

1000BT1

Redundant

Power

supply

Power

supply

1000BT1

Power

1000BT1

CAN

LIN

100BT1

10BT1s

Backbone

Interface

eSwitch

/eFuse

Dev1

Dev2

Dev3

Dev4

Dev N

PoDL

Case Study Setup – Optimized EE Architecture

• Estimate the wiring harness of different zonal architectures

• Qualify the trade-off between savings in harness and expenses on zonal ECUs

• Therefore an environment was set up to

• map the ECUs on the layout of the vehicle

• automatically generate a wiring harness from the positions of the ECUs

• analyze the harness and derive requirements for the design of the zonal ECU

• apply constrained 2D routing algorithms, considering single wire, etc.

Spatial mapping of the ECUs onto the layout of the vehicle

Wiring the ECUs in a zonal architecture and estimating the harness length

Case Study Result – Optimized EE Architecture

Zonal EE Architecture Leads to Significant Savings

• Zonal architectures bear savings of 50% and more in

length of the wiring harness for

• Control and distribute data

• Power distribution

• Increase of savings with larger number of

sensors/actuators

• Saving in wiring harness vs expenses on zonal gateway

ECUs: trade-off can be solved with 6 to 11 zones

• Complexity of the sub-harnesses drops down to a level

that allows automated manufacturing (max. wiring

connection length < 3 m, excluding the backbone)

• Uniformed zonal ECUs in numbers and types of

interfaces are potentially deployable across

• Variants and trim levels

• Platforms and car lines

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU

Automotive

Ethernet TSN

Front left

Middle

left

Rear left

Front

right

Middle

right

Rear right

Super Core 2

Super Core 1

Front

Super Core 3

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU

Service-Oriented-Architecture in Zonal Settings

• Disruption in EE topology impacts the software ecosystem

• Functions no longer associated by ECU, but by domain

• A single function is constituted by services, provided by

different ECUs

• Several SW suppliers delivering services to the same ECU

• Business logic of functions moved to a central application server

• Standards supporting SOA

• Adaptive AUTOSAR

• ARA::COM communication middleware

• Common API is a base for SOA

• Communication between domains via SOME/IP

• Key benefits

• Allows portability of functions on different ECUs / domains

• Enabler for realizing onboard / offboard function split

• Increases potential for reusability of Software Components (SWC)

Function

ECU 1 ECU 2

ECU 3

S2 S3

Functions are broken down into services,

Services run on different ECUs,

ECUs are interconnected via Automotive Ethernet TSN.

Applying the Advantages of SOA

Combination of Zonal Architecture and SOA Proliferate Functionalities

• Abstract from physical to logical connections

• Services availability throughout the

IP-based network

• Well-established experience from

other industries are applicable

• Legacy communication mechanisms

will remain

• Mission critical ECUs (e.g. ESP)

using signal-based communication

• Services can be mapped on legacy

ECUs, e.g. using Classic AUTOSAR

• Novel functions without changes

on ECUs and on wiring harness

• Decreased topology complexity

• Increased potential of wiring optimizations

Automotive

Ethernet TSN

Front left

Middle

left

Rear left

Front

right

Middle

right

Rear

right

Front

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU

Service/ Function

Super Core

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU Service/Function

Overall Challenges of Zonal EE Architectures

• Conspicuous product and system requirements

• Safety requirements, e.g. missing solutions in standards

• EMC induced by combination of data and power distribution

• Additional space requirements for installation in the vehicle

• Heat dissipation on high performance computing units or power switching

• Early start-up scenarios

• Implications on the system architecture

• Partitioning of data processing: smart sensor vs cloud processing

• Integration of high data rate sensor / actuator, such as raw data cameras, e.g. > 1Gbit/s

• Integration of very low complexity and legacy device, e.g. “cheap” ECUs (LIN, CAN)

• Interplay between multiple real-time communication channels, legacy traffic, class traffic, etc.

• Structural implications

• Optimization of various cost trade-offs, such as production – material – labor

• Organizational barriers between communication network vs power distribution departments on OEM and

supplier side

• Collaboration model in development and production in between OEM, Tier 1s and Tier 2s

• Availability of cutting edge ECU components, e.g., TSN enabled switches, eFuses, etc.

• Global deployment of uniformed zonal gateways at OEM production sites in dedicated car lines / trim levels

Partitioning of Data Processing in the Zonal Setting

• The data processing shall happen in

real-time with low latency

• Sensors create data which can be

processed either

• next to the sensor (smart sensor),

• in a zonal ECU with appropriate

computational power,

• in a central compute node such as

Super Core or

• off-board in Edge or Cloud computing

facilities.

• Data processing is attributed by the

• data rate at the input/output side,

• computational power required to process

the data

• Fusion of data can be done with

• raw sensor data (early fusion) or with

• processed data: object data (late fusion)

• Central fusion of raw data may make

sense for novel “AI” techniques but

requires significant bandwidth

Super Core

Zonal ECU

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU

Summary - New Zonal EE Architecture

Zonal EE Architecture Unleashes Significant Savings

• Automotive Ethernet TSN network approach is

the common rail for the zonal architecture

• 1 to n zones

• High bandwidth and real-time communication

• Reliability and fail operational

• Zonal ring approach with is fully scalable:

• Entry to luxury segment

• Automated driving Level 1 to Level 5 (SAE)

• Combustion engine cars, EV’s and hybrid vehicles

• The zonal gateways will provide and distribute

data & power across the vehicle

• Zonal ECU concept matches the demands

of service-oriented architectures

• New developments in EE lead to a paradigm

shift, requiring bold re-organization of the

vehicle topology

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU

Automotive

Ethernet TSN

Front left

Middle

left

Rear left

Front

right

Middle

right

Rear

right

Super Core 2

Super Core 1

Front

Super Core 3

Sensor Actuator Zonal Gateway ECU Processing ECU