About AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture (AUTOSAR)

AUTOSAR is an effort at standardization that is intended to address a variety of issues associated with automotive software, including ballooning code size and the increasing complexity of the development process. The AUTOSAR consortium was established in July 2003 by a core group of European car manufacturers and automotive electrical part suppliers to start standardization of in-vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) software interfaces and software modules. Currently, over 100 companies such as car manufacturers, automotive electrical part suppliers, chip manufacturers, and software manufacturers, are members of the AUTOSAR consortium.

Three Key AUTOSAR Features

AUTOSAR is a development process that increases automotive software reusability, enables stable quality and reliability, and reins in software-related costs. AUTOSAR has three key features.
 

Layered Architecture

In AUTOSAR, software is componentized and application software reusability is improved.
 

AUTOSAR Layered Architecture

AUTOSAR Methodology

In AUTOSAR, the entire sequence from upstream design to detailed design and mounting is standardized, and communication network, ECU, and microcontroller (MCU) settings are laid out and performed in order.
 

Design Sequence Using AUTOSAR Methodology
 

Application Interface

In AUTOSAR, the interface between the SWCs (software components) of the functions making up application software is standardized, and what data types can be exchanged at what values for a given application are determined.
 

Seat Heating Control Application Interface Example

Renesas' Activities

Renesas has been a Premium Partner of the AUTOSAR Consortium since July 2004, and has been deeply involved in standardization activities. Renesas has been concentrating on a device driver compatible with AUTOSAR software, Microcontroller Abstraction Layer (MCAL), and started releasing MCAL products for Renesas automotive microcontrollers from 2007. Renesas also works together with partner vendors to provide our customers AUTOSAR solutions integrated with Renesas MCAL and OS.
 

About MCAL Software Module

Why Renesas Concentrates on MCAL

Renesas MCAL is optimized to draw out a microcontroller's maximum functionality and performance. By supplying the MCU-dependent MCAL (Microcontroller Abstraction Layer) as a chip vendor, Renesas enables our customers to optimize automotive software development overall.

Support for AUTOSAR MCAL

With the development and mass production of a wide variety of ECUs, Renesas AUTORSAR　solutions have aproven track record spanning many implementations. This process of product evolution will continue and expand moving forward.
Renesas MCAL supports the following devices.

AUTOSAR Support Device List

RH850 MCAL Support List

*1: Under development

*1: Under development

*1: Under development

Tools for Developing with Renesas MCAL

V850 MCAL Support List

Tools for Developing with Renesas MCAL

Support for HIS Recommended Optimization AUTOSAR

"Herstellerinitiative Software (HIS) Recommended Optimization AUTOSAR" is a sub-set specification stated by HIS, an organization consisting of five German auto-makers, for applying AUTOSAR specification Release 3.1 to mid-range microcontrollers.

Renesas is responding quickly to HIS Recommended Optimization AUTOSAR, and is providing the industry's first development environment for HIS Recommended Optimization AUTOSAR jointly developed with Elektrobit Corporation (EB).
 

Renesas HIS Recommended Optimization AUTOSAR

Partner AUTOSAR Development Tools for Renesas Microcontrollers

Renesas works together with partner vendors to provide our customers AUTOSAR solutions integrated with Renesas MCAL.