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Frontiers in Emerging Multidisciplinary Sciences

Open Access Peer Review International
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Architectural Resilience and Reliability Analysis of Zonal Automotive Controllers: Integrating Fault-Tolerant Lockstep Mechanisms, Radiation-Induced Error Mitigation, And Memory Safety in Centralized E/E Systems

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Marcus von Hausswolff 1
4 Department of Embedded Systems and Software Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

The automotive industry is currently undergoing a foundational transition from distributed Electronic Control Units to centralized and zonal Electrical/Electronic (E/E) architectures. This shift, necessitated by the increasing complexity of autonomous driving functions and high-bandwidth data processing, introduces significant challenges regarding functional safety and system reliability. This research provides an exhaustive analysis of fault-tolerant design strategies, specifically focusing on Dual-Core Lockstep (DCLS) architectures and Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) within SRAM-based Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and modern microprocessor environments. By examining the impact of Single Event Upsets (SEUs) and radiation-induced functional failures, this study establishes a comprehensive framework for predicting error rates through Code Emulating Upsets (C.E.U.) and radiation testing benchmarks. Furthermore, the article explores the software-centric dimensions of reliability, including the mitigation of memory leaks in mission-critical middleware and the enforcement of pointer provenance through architectural innovations like CHERI. The synthesis of these hardware and software strategies is evaluated against the rigorous standards of ISO 26262 and ISO/PAS 21448. The results indicate that while centralized architectures reduce wiring complexity and facilitate software-over-the-air updates, they require a multi-layered approach to resilience that integrates lockstep processing, custom memory allocation, and advanced error rate prediction to ensure the safety of the intended functionality in harsh terrestrial and electromagnetic environments.

How to Cite

Marcus von Hausswolff. (2025). Architectural Resilience and Reliability Analysis of Zonal Automotive Controllers: Integrating Fault-Tolerant Lockstep Mechanisms, Radiation-Induced Error Mitigation, And Memory Safety in Centralized E/E Systems. Frontiers in Emerging Multidisciplinary Sciences, 2(10), 22–26. Retrieved from https://irjernet.com/index.php/fems/article/view/330
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