EV Engineering News

Continental and Infineon cooperate on server-based vehicle architectures

Automotive supplier Continental is collaborating with semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies to develop server-based vehicle architectures. The goal is to create an efficient electrics/electronics (E/E) architecture in which central high-performance computers (HPCs) and a few Zone Control Units (ZCUs) replace the hundred or more individual control units used in current vehicles.

Continental is using Infineon’s AURIX TC4 microcontroller for its ZCU platform. By individually configuring the number and arrangement of HPCs and ZCUs, automobile manufacturers can individually tailor their architecture to their needs.

“With our new architecture solution, we are making the vehicle fit for the future,” says Gilles Mabire, CTO of Continental Automotive. “The growing variety of vehicle functions requires more and more computing power and increasingly complex software applications. Thanks to our platform strategy, proven application software can be used in new vehicle models. As a result, the time-consuming validation effort is significantly reduced, and new functionalities can be brought into serial production much faster.”

In the new E/E architecture, a zone control unit bundles all electronic and electrical connections in a local section of the vehicle. For instance, ZCUs take over all control, data and communication management tasks in the vehicle from areas at the front right, front left and rear. Data streams from different vehicle domains merge in the zone control units. The data is then passed on to the HPCs as the top control level via secure Ethernet connections. Conversely, the zone control units act as coordination points for executing commands from the server level.

“Our new vehicle architecture simplifies the wiring harness substantially. It saves weight and energy,” says Jean-Francois Tarabbia, Head of the Architecture and Networking Business Unit at Continental. “Thanks to a clear division of tasks in the organized vehicle electronics, the separation of hardware and software and lastly, the necessary standardization of interfaces, the growing complexity and an almost exploding scope of software inside the vehicle can be managed in a much better way.”

Source: Continental

Comment
Create Account. Already Registered? Log In

Virtual Conference on EV Infrastructure: Free to Attend

Don't miss our next Virtual Conference on December 4-6, 2023. Register for the free webinar sessions below and reserve your spot to watch them live or on-demand.

LOAD MORE SESSIONS

EV Engineering Webinars & Whitepapers

The Tech

Elevate the efficiency of EV battery systems with electronic components (Whitepaper)

Will designating China as an “entity of concern” spur the development of US supply chains?

White House clarifies (sort of) EV tax credit eligibility rules for foreign companies

Researchers develop cobalt-free lithium-ion battery

The Vehicles & Infrastructure

Today’s EV infrastructure webinar schedule: Monday, December 4th

Daimler Truck puts EVs into service in its own logistics operations in the Pacific Northwest

Sweden’s Charge Amps produces sleek, stylish smart EV chargers

FTC seeks public comment on its labeling requirements for public EV chargers

2 days left to join the Virtual Conference on EV Infrastructure

Swiss firm Designwerk presents container-sized Mega Charger for commercial EVs

Updated OpenADR communications standard helps utilities manage renewables and EV charging

Rivian launches leasing for R1T electric pickup truck in 14 states

EPRI’s new groundbreaking grid planning tool for electric transportation (Webinar)

Circontrol’s next-generation Raption EV chargers feature 240 kW of power, new user-friendly features

EV Tech Explained