Automated Driving Requires Software Redundancy

Excerpt

Functional safety is one of the central aspects of vehicle development; for hardware, it is usually ensured via redundant systems. In the era of the software-defined vehicle, such an approach is no longer sufficient, because the software used must also have a defined and validated counterpart to the hardware redundancy in order to meet increased safety levels. However, the greater share of software makes it more and more difficult to prove functional safety across all systems. In this respect, validation is only possible by means of a comprehensive test methodology, which in turn is time-consuming and cost-intensive. Basically, new systemic approaches are needed to provide the necessary proofs at a reasonable level of effort. …