Automotive Semiconductors and Functional Safety
Which correctly describes the ongoing shift to a "zonal architecture" in automotive electronic systems?
- AA configuration that keeps adding dedicated ECUs for each function, such as engine, brakes and navigation, further increasing the number of ECUs
- BA configuration that connects all of the vehicle's electronic components in series on a single wire and controls them without using any ECUs
- CConsolidating the wiring of sensors and actuators and power distribution into zone ECUs placed in each location (zone) of the vehicle, and linking them to a high-performance central computer over a high-speed network
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Answer: C. Consolidating the wiring of sensors and actuators and power distribution into zone ECUs placed in each location (zone) of the vehicle, and linking them to a high-performance central computer over a high-speed network
Traditionally, each added function brought another dedicated ECU, leading to more than 100 ECUs in some luxury cars along with long, heavy wiring harnesses. In a zonal architecture, zone ECUs in each location, such as the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle, connect nearby sensors and actuators, while control processing is consolidated in a high-performance central computer. Wiring becomes shorter and lighter, and batch software updates become easier. Zone ECUs also handle power distribution, replacing fuses and relays with semiconductor switches.
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