The software-defined vehicle

How a car turns from a few dozen boxes of fixed-function electronics into a computer you update: the architecture, the software stack, the networks, the services, the over-the-air pipeline and the standards that govern all of it.

Electrical and electronic architecture
From a controller per function to domains, then zones, then a few central computers: what moves and what the wiring harness gets to lose.
- Domain
- Zonal
- Central compute
The software stack
The layers of a software-defined vehicle, from silicon to cloud: hardware and SoC, operating system and hypervisor, middleware and services, applications, and the backend.
- SoC
- Hypervisor
- Middleware
- SOA
- Cloud
The network ladder
LIN, CAN, CAN FD, CAN XL, FlexRay and Automotive Ethernet from 10BASE-T1S to multi-gig, on one log bandwidth scale.
- LIN
- CAN
- CAN FD
- CAN XL
- FlexRay
- Automotive Ethernet
Signals versus services
A CAN signal is broadcast to receivers configured in advance; a service is discovered and called. One example value walked through both, with SOME/IP, DDS and the COVESA Vehicle Signal Specification.
- CAN signals
- SOME/IP
- DDS
- COVESA VSS
The over-the-air pipeline
How an update reaches a car: a staged rollout, an install that has to restore the old version or reach a safe state if it fails, and the regulation and standard that govern it.
- UNECE R156
- ISO 24089
The standards map
Which standard governs which stage of a vehicle program: functional safety, SOTIF, cybersecurity, type approval and process assessment, laid along the lifecycle.
- ISO 26262
- ISO 21448
- ISO/SAE 21434
- UNECE R155
- ASPICE