Requirements for a standardized sensor interface for automotive applications

Abstract:
Today’s Electronic Control Units (ECU) contain one or more μ-Controller and the required surrounding peripheral components, such as transceivers, watch dogs, voltage regulators, sensor interfaces, switches and diagnosis functions. With the increasing complexity and the need for cost saving in automotive electronics, semiconductor manufacturers are going to integrate more and more of this peripheral functionality into System Basic Chips (SBC). The interfaces between the peripheral building blocks and the μ-Controller are not standardized and differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. In order to standardize the interfaces between μ-Controller and SBC the CARbridge initiative was founded in 2008 by major car manufactures. This paper will take a closer look at the sensor interfaces with respect to the CARbridge initiative and proposes key requirements for a common sensor interface for multiple applications in automotive area.