Automotive functional safety ISO26262

In our previous post , we introduced the topic of ASIL certification for HW elements. In this article, we will give you an idea of what is done as part of ASIL Certification. We will then introduce the concept of HW Evaluation , how it is to be done and what are the challenges in doing it.   Note: ISO26262 does not talk about "Certification" and what is the way to "certify" a component.  ASIL Certification means that a component was developed according to ISO26262, it was audited by Independent Safety Auditors and the Auditor confirmed that the Component meets the qualitative and quantitative expectations for that ASIL level. The Idea behind “ASIL Certification” Basics first. How is Safety is achieved in an Item? By sufficiently preventing Systematic failures - by good design and following ASIL development processes By introducing safety mechanisms to detect random hardware failures and achieving the required quantitative Hardware Metrics for that ASIL level.  Let u...

Safety beginners are quite often very confused about how Safety affects the hardware design and choice of components in the BOM.  “Should I use ASIL certified Micro controllers, CAN transceivers, PMICs and switches in my ASIL program? What about the resistors and capacitors? Do we even have ASIL certified passives in the market?” they ask. In this blog and next ones to come, we will clear the confusion surrounding “ASIL” certification and qualification of Hardware elements. We will cover several questions surrounding this topic. This blog post will cover the following questions: 1. Background – How the ASIL certification for HW really started 2.Scope of ASIL Certification for HW – Which HW elements are expected to be ASIL Certified and which need not be Background – How the ASIL certification for HW really started It was in the ISO26262-2018 edition, Part 8, Clause 13 “Evaluation of Hardware elements” that for the first time, the idea of “ASIL certified” ICs was introduced. In this...

This is a frequently asked question in the world of Automotive Safety, especially for programs up to ASIL B. There are contradicting answers to this question even amongst Safety Industry experts and every answer is based on its own rationale. In this blog, we have provided a background on what is core self-test and why is it needed from a functional safety standpoint. Background Typically, when we develop an item that is required to be ASIL compliant, it is state-of-the-art to choose a Microcontroller that is designed for ISO 26262 compliance. Microcontrollers that are ASIL certified are developed as per the HW development processes specified by ISO26262. They also incorporate safety mechanisms to detect, correct or prevent (if possible) systematic and random faults. These safety mechanisms provide sufficient diagnostic coverage against faults and enable the Microcontroller to achieve a FIT rate that is sufficiently low, so that the Item that is integrating it can meet its required FIT...