Affordable X-By-Wire technology based on an innovative, scalable E/E platform-concept

This paper gives an overview of a system concept approach of an intelligent accident avoiding X-by-wire vehicle. The concept has been realized within the EC-funded project SPARC with DaimlerChrysler as consortium leader. Based on fly-by-wire experience a highly scalable fault tolerant X-by-wire platform has been developed. For validation purposes the X-by-wire platform is applied to a SMART passenger car and to an ACTROS heavy-goods vehicle. In this article the main requirements (OEM- and Governmental-requirements) with major impact on the platform design are summarized first. In a second step the structure and function of the X-by-wire platform are described. Third, focus will be paid to the overall platform redundancy-management basically realized by software. This comprises fault-detection, fault-localization and platform-reconfiguration. Finally, a concept is shown how "simplex-minded designed" high-level coordination functions are integrated as "applications" onto the core of the X-by-wire platform