Electronic failures and monitoring strategies in automotive control units

A widely spread and required risk analysis method in automotive industry is the FMEA (failure mode and effects analysis). However, it can be shown, that with the help of the FMEA, the complex relations of drive and monitoring strategies for example in engine, transmission and/or general automotive control units, cannot be completely treated. In order to show and to implement the new legal requirements, the increased complexity, the cross linking of the developed systems and, last but not least, the shortened development times, a new procedure was created. The new procedure enables, by a two-phase layout, the assisting of the implementation of drive and monitoring strategies in automotive control units and the illustration of possible failure functions in software, electronics, mechanics and their interactions to other systems. Furthermore it allows the definition of adequate failure reactions to prevent, to minimize and/or to keep the vehicle in stable and secured working conditions. It is now possible, under consideration of the defined measures, to demonstrate the potential of improvement, i.e. the decrease of the assessment value of the severity and the connected failure effect in a traceable way and to allow a suitable risk prioritization in an FMEA.