Modern cars can automatically register the distance to the vehicle travelling in front of them and also offer us internet connectivity. To make such features possible, a range of functions are integrated in ever more powerful control devices. Various applications – like infotainment or driver assistance systems – can even be run at the same time on a single control device which saves costs while also reducing the vehicle’s overall weight. Yet we have to have some means of ensuring that the various functions integrated in the hardware, which may all come from different vendors, can smoothly operate without interfering with one another. After all, functional safety in cars is paramount. Another factor is the danger of manipulation of all onboard electronic systems posed by new infotainment applications with the potential to connect to other mobile end devices and download information from the internet.

To address these challenges, in future safety-critical functions will be realized using the AUTOSAR standard. AUTOSAR already encapsulates a variety of approaches for integration of a broad array of functions. Yet given the different safety requirements for the huge number of individual components, these approaches need to be re-assessed and in some cases extended. In the VirtuOS project (Virtual architectures for safe automotive software systems with cross-domain safety-relevant security) scientists at SQC are developing new processes, tools and methods to meet these requirements. A demonstrator is used to show that the software developed really does meet the safety and security requirements of standards like AUTOSAR, automotive SPICE, ISO 26262 and Common Criteria.

The project is managed by OpenSynergy GmbH and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Zukunftsfond Berlin.