• Automotive
• ASIL-A
• Ethernet Switch
• 100BASE-T1
• 1000BASE-T
• VLAN
• CAN
• CAN FD
• LIN
• RS-232
• SPC58
• AVB
• Audio-Video Bridging
• IEEE 802.1BA
• TSN
• Time-Sensitive Networking
• IEEE 802.1AS
• TTEthernet
• Time-Triggered Ethernet
• AVTP
• AVB Transport Protocol
• IEEE 1722-2016
• CAN over AVTP
• LIN over AVTP
• PTP
• Precision Time Protocol
• 12V
• 24V
• IP5K0
• Architecture Design
• Confluence
• Requirements Yogi
• Schematics Design
• PCB Design
• Altium Nexus
• Altium Designer
• PDN Analyzer
• Signal Integrity
• DFM
• Bring-Up
• Firmware Development
• MISRA C
• C99
• AUTOSAR
• TCP/IP
• Python

Overview

The transition to Zonal Architecture in automotive design significantly reduces vehicle wiring, replacing hundreds of meters of cables with a single twisted pair. This Zonal Gateway ECU integrates a 7-port managed AVB/TSN Ethernet switch with a robust CAN/LIN/RS-232 to AVB/TSN gateway, enabling efficient time-sensitive data transmission across vehicle domains.

Key Features

• Managed Ethernet switch with support for Audio-Video Bridging (AVB) and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN).
• Configurable VLAN segregation on all ethernet ports
• 6x single-pair 100BASE-T1 (100 Mbit/s automotive Ethernet)
• 1x 1000BASE-T (10/100/1000 Mbit/s Ethernet, RJ45) for diagnostics and debugging
• 8x CAN/CAN-FD ports (up to 5 Mbit/s)
• 1x LIN interface
• 1x RS-232 interface
• ASIL-A qualification (ISO 26262)
• 12V and 24V vehicle power supply
• Fully operational in -40 … +85 °C ambient temperatures
• Low Power features:
  • CAN/CAN-FD partitioned networking with wake-up only on specific CAN messages (i.e., directly addressed) on CAN1 port
  • LIN wake-up capability
  • Open Alliance TC10 Sleep/Wake-Up support on all automotive Ethernet ports

My contribution to the project

1. General Responsibilities

• Requirements engineering using Requirements Yogi in Confluence
• Developing the solution architecture
• Developing the Hardware-Software Interface (HSI)
• Ensuring compliance with ISO 26262 and achieving the ASIL-A target
• Leading DFMEA analysis

2. Hardware Development

• Schematics and PCB design in Altium Nexus (an Altium Designer-based PLM)
• Performing Simulations (PDN Analyzer, Signal Integrity)
• Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and industrialization
• Device Bring-Up
• Validation and verification workflows development

3. Software Development

• Developing the firmware using company-wide components
• Developing CAN messaging scheme for device control and diagnostics
• Implementing MISRA-C and AUTOSAR compatible modules:
  • Peripheral drivers:
    • Ethernet switch chip
    • Automotive Ethernet transceiver
    • Fast Ethernet transceiver
  • Lightweight TCP/IP stack
  • AVB protocols support (AVTP, PTP, overall state machine)
  • CAN/LIN/RS232 to AVTP Gateway
  • Device diagnostics via CAN and Ethernet
  • Ethernet Switch, VLAN and AVTP gateway management
• Contributing the CAN/LIN/RS232 over AVTP parser to the Wireshark project.
• Developing Python scripts and GUI tools for bring-up, validation, and verification

Project Challenges

1. Architecture

This project was relatively straightforward, with the most challenging aspect being determining the best approach for forwarding CAN over Ethernet. After extensive research into industry standards and best practices, and discussions with stakeholders, we selected the latest revision of the AVB Transport Protocol standard (IEEE 1722-2016), which introduced the ability to forward CAN, LIN, and other frame types via AVTP Control frames.

2. Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and ESD Immunity

Surprisingly, the device passed EMI testing on the first attempt, thanks to the HDI PCB, Micro-VIAs, and thin external dielectric layers. However, achieving the required ESD immunity level proved to be a major challenge.

The complexity increased because the project reused an existing enclosure from a previous product, modifying only the injection molding inserts for the front panel. Unfortunately, this constraint lead to a PCB redesign to meet the ESD compliance.

Product Images