Automotive Embedded Systems & Applications

A warm welcome to the Automotive Embedded Systems & Applications course by Uplatz.

An embedded system is an electronic or computer system which is designed to control, access the data in electronics based systems. This system includes a single chip microcontroller such as cortex, ARM and also microprocessors, FPGAs, DSPs, and ASICs. Nowadays the usage of embedded systems is widespread. But the software that is programmed into the microcontroller is capable of solving only a limited range of problems.

Embedded systems have a huge variety of applications that varies from low to high-cost consumer electronics to industrial equipment, medical devices to weapon control systems, aerospace systems and entertainment devices to academic equipment, and so on. Embedded systems span all features of our present life.

Embedded systems are being extensively used in Automotive industry. Embedded Systems have taken total control on automobiles. From small wiper controls to large and complicated anti-lock brake controls, everything in automobiles is under control of Embedded System. Electronic Control Units ECU is being used in automobiles. ECU consist of microcontroller and digital signal processors. Mercedes, BMW cars and other lavish vehicles make use of a variety of controllers used in Embedded Systems. An advanced embedded system in automobiles has increased rapidly in the past two decades. Every year automobile manufacturers pack embedded systems into their cars for different functionalities like ignition, security and audio systems. The technological innovations of the embedded system within the vehicle are being ambitiously challenged to make the vehicle energy efficient, network savvy and safer. In 1968, the Volkswagen used first embedded system in the automobile industry.

Today, a typical automobile on the road has computer controlled electronic systems, and the most commonly used embedded systems in a vehicle include Airbags, anti-lock braking system, black box, adaptive cruise control, drive by wire, satellite radio, telematics, emission control, traction control, automatic parking, in-vehicle entertainment systems, night vision, heads up display, back up collision sensors, navigational systems, tyre pressure monitor, climate control, etc.

Some of the key areas where the embedded systems are currently used in automobiles:

• Black box

• Airbags

• Drive by wire

• Adaptive cruise control

• Anti-lock braking system

• Telematics

• Automatic parking

• Satellite radio

• Tyre pressure monitor

• Traction control

• In-vehicle entertainment system

• Navigational Systems

• Night vision

• Backup collision sensors

• Heads up display

• Emission control

• Climate control

An embedded system plays a key role in automobiles due to its flexibility as well as versatility. The electronics revolution has controlled within the design of automobiles like the fuel ignition, protection of power train crash, etc. An embedded system used in automobiles can assist in pollution control, system monitoring, etc.

At present, the microcontrollers used in automobiles mainly depend on the vehicle. For example, a normal vehicle includes around 30 -35 whereas some luxury vehicles include 70 – 75 microcontrollers.

The auto industry has a complex supply chain, so compliance with standards is easier to manage than individual, very detailed specifications.

This Automotive Embedded Systems Applications course by Uplatz covers comprehensively the description of automotive landscape, safety standards, vehicle informatics, components of automotive systems and serial interfaces followed by embedded systems & applications within the automotive industry such as CAN and LIN Bus protocol, TTP FLEXRAY, vehicle control, car communication using Bluetooth, wireless networking technologies, ZigBee, Bluetooth security, etc. This Embedded Systems in Automotive industry course also touches upon the context aware wearable devices.

Automotive Embedded Systems & Applications - course syllabus

1. Automotive Safety Standards

2. Automotive Embedded Applications

3. Introduction to Automotive Systems

4. Vehicle Informatics Introduction

5. Serial Interfaces

6. CAN and LIN Bus

7. TTP FLEXRAY

8. Vehicle Control

9. Car Communication based on Bluetooth Link

10. Wireless Networking Technologies

11. Bluetooth Security

12. ZigBee 802.15.4

13. Bluetooth Low Energy

14. Context Aware and Wearable Computing

15. Components of Automotive Systems

16. Input Output Interfacing

17. Network Interface Cards

18. Internet Standardization

19. Jini Architecture

20. IEEE 1394

21. MOST Cooperation

22. Survey of MOST System Architecture

23. Survey of MOST Specifications

24. MOST Application Framework

25. MOST Protocols

26. MOST Physical Layer

27. MOST Network and Fault Management

28. MOST Network Diagnostics

29. MOST Network Services

30. MOST Network Interface Controller

31. MOST Tools

32. MOST Compliance Tests

33. Testing MOST based Infotainment Systems

34. Introduction to MOST150 in Series

35. MOST150 Migration

36. Manufacturing and Processing of MOST Components

37. Accident and Injury Prevention

38. Inter Vehicle Communication

39. Connected Vehicles and Automated Vehicles

40. AUTOSAR

41. MICROSAR

42. AUTOSAR Calibration

43. Winter Driving

44. Safe Vehicle Operation

Some of the standards that apply to electronic systems in cars include:

• CAN Bus - a means to reliably connect numerous systems together whilst minimizing the amount of wiring.

• MISRA C (and C++) - a detailed set of guidelines in the use of this language in a safety critical system, like a car.

• OSEK/VDX - a standard for real time operating systems used in such systems in cars.

• Genivi - a standard for Linux based systems used for in-car infotainment systems.

This course covers a few of the standards mentioned above.