Research trends in automotive functional safety

In recent years, most of the modern automobiles are equipped with embedded electronic systems which include lots of Electronic Controller Units (ECUs), electronic sensors, signals, bus systems and coding. Due to the complex application in electrical, electronics and programmable electronics, it is necessary to analyze the potential risk of malfunction for automotive systems. IEC 61508 has become a foundation for international standard of safety-related system such as airborne systems, railway, nuclear power plants, medical equipment, energy and process systems, machinery, furnaces and automobiles. The failure of such system could have significant impact on the safety of humans and/or the environment. Thus, ISO 26262 has been introduced in November, 2011 for automotive electrical/electronic (E/E) systems which emphasizing the complete safety installation from sensor to actuator with its technical as well as management issues. In this paper, the international trends pre and post introduction of ISO 26262 is analyzed, and the potential development direction in this area is discussed.