As the automotive industry continues its journey towards electrification and autonomy, vehicle architectures are becoming more complex than ever before. With this increased complexity comes the need for more stringent safety and cybersecurity considerations. Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) has emerged as a game-changing methodology that enables engineers to design, analyze, and validate these complex systems while ensuring they meet both functional safety and cybersecurity standards.
Functional Safety and ISO 26262
Functional safety is an essential part of automotive systems, particularly when dealing with safety-critical functions such as braking, steering, and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). The ISO 26262 standard has become the benchmark for functional safety in the automotive industry, ensuring that systems are developed with a focus on identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential hazards throughout the lifecycle of the vehicle.
By leveraging MBSE, engineers can model the entire system architecture, from high-level safety goals down to individual components. This approach ensures that safety requirements are traceable across the system, which is crucial when complying with ISO 26262. One of the key advantages of MBSE in this context is the ability to perform early validation and verification through simulation. Engineers can test different failure scenarios, safety mechanisms, and the robustness of the system long before any physical prototypes are built.
For example, consider an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system. MBSE allows for the creation of a detailed model that includes the control algorithms, sensors, and actuators involved. By simulating fault conditions—such as sensor failure or power loss—engineers can verify whether the system will safely transition to a fallback state, thus ensuring compliance with ISO 26262.
Cybersecurity and ISO/SAE 21434
As vehicles become increasingly connected and autonomous, cybersecurity is now equally as important as functional safety. The upcoming ISO/SAE 21434 standard addresses cybersecurity risk management throughout the lifecycle of road vehicles, from the concept phase through to decommissioning.
MBSE provides a powerful framework to integrate cybersecurity considerations early in the design process. Engineers can model potential cybersecurity threats and assess their impact on system functionality. This is particularly critical for systems that are both safety- and security-critical, such as Over-the-Air (OTA) updates and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication systems.
For instance, a vehicle’s ADAS relies on a multitude of sensors, such as cameras, radar, and LiDAR, to detect obstacles and make driving decisions. By integrating cybersecurity models into the MBSE workflow, engineers can identify and address potential vulnerabilities—such as hacking into the vehicle’s communication systems or spoofing sensor inputs. This proactive approach ensures that safety and security are treated as co-dependent aspects of the design, rather than afterthoughts.
Integrating Functional Safety and Cybersecurity in MBSE
The integration of functional safety and cybersecurity is not just beneficial but necessary, especially for autonomous and highly automated vehicles. MBSE allows for the creation of a unified system model that can address both safety and security requirements simultaneously. By using standards like ISO 26262 for functional safety and ISO/SAE 21434 for cybersecurity, automotive companies can ensure that their systems meet the highest levels of safety and security from the outset.
One promising approach is the use of digital twins—virtual models of physical systems. Digital twins can be used to simulate both safety-critical operations and potential cyber-attacks, providing engineers with a comprehensive view of how the system will behave in real-world conditions. For example, a digital twin of an autonomous vehicle’s braking system can simulate both failure conditions and cyber-attacks, allowing engineers to validate that the system will safely respond to both scenarios.
Conclusion
As vehicle architectures evolve to meet the demands of autonomy and connectivity, the role of MBSE in ensuring functional safety and cybersecurity has never been more critical. By incorporating standards like ISO 26262 and ISO/SAE 21434 into the MBSE workflow, automotive engineers can design systems that are not only safe but also secure, ensuring that the vehicles of tomorrow are both reliable and resilient to cyber threats.
In the coming years, the ability to balance safety and security considerations through model-based approaches will be a key differentiator for companies in the automotive industry. Those that embrace MBSE will be well-positioned to lead the charge towards a safer, more secure future of mobility.
References:
- ISO 26262: Road vehicles – Functional safety
- ISO/SAE 21434: Road vehicles – Cybersecurity engineering