Introduction
Within the automotive sector, the safety of electrical and electronic (E/E) systems is mission critical. As many of you likely already know, ISO 26262 is an international standard for functional safety. For our customers designing ASICs for the automotive industry, ISO 26262 serves as the guarantee that, for the lifecycle of the vehicle, adequate safety has been achieved and preserved. With the advent of self-driving cars, safety has taken center stage, and ISO 26262 is the primary industry prescription for developing functionally safe automobiles. This standard covers not just cars, but also trucks, buses, and other types of road vehicles.
Understanding ISO 26262
ISO 26262 predates autonomous vehicles by years, addressing all aspects of E/E systems in road vehicles. While safety is paramount for self-driving cars, even when a human is at the wheel, safety can be compromised by various types of E/E failures. Therefore, if you’re designing ICs for any part of any electronic subsystem in road vehicles, ISO 26262 is vitally important.
Beyond Automotive: The Importance of Functional Safety
When considering safety, there are many other applications where a failure could easily result in serious injuries or loss of life, including implanted medical devices, offensive and defensive weapons, and nuclear power plants. Even misbehavior in an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device – such as your home security system – could have serious consequences for you and your loved ones. In response, the electronics industry has developed a whole catalog of related standards for industrial, railway, avionics, military, machinery, nuclear, and medical applications.
Consequently, many designers working on ICs for these applications have already thought seriously about functional safety. The basic idea common to all the safety standards is taking appropriate action in response to a fault in the system to prevent a catastrophic failure. This means designing your chips to detect faults and either correct them or bring the vehicle to a safe condition.
