Integrated ADAS Domain Controller SoCs with ISO 26262 Certified IP

Ron DiGiuseppe, Synopsys
EETimes (April 22, 2019)

The adoption of new automotive Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) applications has significantly impacted the system architecture of the latest generation of cars. Traditionally, the electronic control units (ECUs) for individual ADAS applications have been placed throughout the car: the forward collision avoidance ECU located in the windshield, park assist ultrasonic sensors, and the processor in the rear. ECUs integrate the multiple ADAS applications into centralized domains to combine multiple ADAS functions. The new class of integrated domain controller ECUs utilize data transferred from the car’s remote sensors such as cameras, LIDARs, radar, ultrasonic, and other sensors to the integrated domain controller for processing by a high performance ADAS system-on-chip (SoC). The integrated ADAS domain controller SoC requires higher computing performance while consuming less power and requiring smaller footprints.

The increased functionality of integrated ADAS domain controller impacts the ADAS SoC architecture in the ECU including the SoC-level automotive certification which remains a mandatory requirement for designers. Moreover, the IP in the integrated ADAS domain controller SoC must also meet the highest Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASILs), must be designed and tested for grade 1 and 2 temperatures, and must fully adhere to the automotive quality management process. In addition, to meet the power and performance requirements of the new integrated ADAS domain controller SoC architecture, designers are moving to more stringent process technologies, such as FinFETs, making it even more important to use automotive-certified IP in advanced foundry processes.

This article highlights the new integrated automotive ADAS domain controller SoC architecture, and describes how designers can accelerate their SoC-level certification and time-to-production with automotive-certified IP.

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