Embedded Networking CarRing II: A Real-Time Computer Network as Successor of Flexray?

This paper presents a proposal how to avoid today’s problems in car electronics, mainly controllers, with respect to scalability, usability and effectiveness. Contemporary car controllers lack of common standards in data exchange as a consequence of incompatible field buses and protocols, while intra-car communication is increasing at the same time. A dedicated, fully-fletched, real-time computer network is presented that is capable to replace all types of field buses in cars. CarRing II exhibits functions from 7 ISO layers, instead of layer 1 and 2 functionality field buses such as FlexRay or CAN. CarRing II aims at general intra-car-communications from a system’s perspective and can be used to connect arbitrary sensors, actuators and controllers to a distributed mechatronic system. It optimally supports future x-by-wire driver-assistance systems. Its main goals in comparison to field buses are better usability and effectiveness as well as better reliability and real-time capability. 1