Achieving a Scalable E/E-Architecture Using AUTOSAR and Virtualization

ABSTRACTToday's automotive software integration is a static process. Hardware and software form a fixed package and thushinder the integration of new electric and electronic features once the specification has been completed. Usually softwarecomponents assigned to an ECU cannot be easily transferred to other devices after they have been deployed. The mainreasons are high system configuration and integration complexity, although shifting functions from one to another ECU isa feature which is generally supported by AUTOSAR. The concept of a Virtual Functional Bus allows a strict separationbetween applications and infrastructure and avoids source code modifications. But still further tooling is needed toreconfigure the AUTOSAR Basic Software (BSW). Other challenges for AUTOSAR are mixed integrity, versioning andmulti-core support.The upcoming BMW E/E-domain oriented architecture will require all these features to be scalable across all vehiclemodel ranges. Entire vehicle E/E clusters, with heterogeneous software environments, must be encapsulated and shiftedfrom one ECU to another while still meeting all postulated requirements. Virtualization technology could be a reasonablecompromise between freedom from interference among integrated systems, scalable system architecture and efficientruntime environment.This work gives a brief vision of domain oriented architecture within the automotive domain by means of AUTOSARtechnology and discusses the requirements for such a scalable system. It is discussed, whether the requirements can be metwith AUTOSAR or if additional abstraction or separation layers are needed. Finally we outline the possible usage of ahypervisor in combination within the AUTOSAR Basic Software using multicore technology and propose a mixed systemarchitecture supporting the domain oriented architecture.CITATION: Reinhardt, D., Kaule, D. and Kucera , M., "Achieving a Scalable E/E-Architecture Using AUTOSAR andVirtualization," SAE Int. J. Passeng. Cars – Electron. Electr. Syst. 6(2):2013, doi:10.4271/2013-01-1399.____________________________________