Ethernet Time-Sensitive Networking Adoption In The Automotive Industry

At a particular point in time, the automotive industry continued to add more and more sensors and electronic control units to vehicles. All these sensors and actuators used to connect through CAN and LIN buses. However, since the introduction of IVN (In-Vehicle Network), the industry has started replacing these buses with automotive Ethernet. According to NXP, “Ethernet enables broadband connectivity with the necessary latency and predictability required for advanced control functions and full-motion video. At the same time, it reduces vehicle weight, saves power, increases efficiency, and enables flexible software upgrades and hardware modularity. It makes autonomous driving more affordable.”

The IEEE standards organization added Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) features to existing Ethernet to fulfill the time-sensitive, mission-critical, and deterministic latency requirements of the automotive industry. Let’s run through these TSN features that made TSN Ethernet adoption so rapid.

Preemption: The preemption and interspacing features allow critical data to interrupt ongoing non-critical data transfer. Once critical frame data transfer completes, non-critical data transfer resumes and completes.

Time-Aware Shaper: Predictable and deterministic latency for critical data remains un-blocked.

Precise Time Protocol: The Precision Time Protocol is a protocol used to synchronize clocks throughout a network.

Cyclic queue and forwarding: This algorithm provides deterministic delay regardless of network topology.

Per stream filtering and polishing: This feature detects and eliminates troublesome transfers and provides a secure and sturdy network.

Frame replication and elimination: This feature provides data redundancy and frame replication whenever the same frame transfers to multiple paths in a network.

Audio-Video Transport Protocol: This protocol provides non – critical Audio/Video data transfer for info entertainment.

With the availability of the Cadence Verification IP for 100/1000baseT and TSN, adopters can start working with these specifications immediately, ensuring compliance with the standard and achieving the fastest path to IP and SoC verification closure. The 100/1000GBaseT and TSN provide a full-stack solution, including support to the PHY, MAC, and TSN layers with a comprehensive coverage model and protocol checkers. Ethernet TSN VIP covers all TSN features required for full coverage verification closure. More details are available in Ethernet Verification IP portfolio.