Automotive electronics

The earliest electronic systems available as factory installations were vacuum tube car radios, starting in the early 1930s. The development of semiconductors after World War II greatly expanded the use of electronics in automobiles, with solid-state diodes making the automotive alternator the standard after about 1960, and the first transistorized ignition systems appearing in 1963.[2]

The emergence of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) technology led to the development of modern automotive electronics.[3] The MOSFET (MOS field-effect transistor, or MOS transistor), invented by Mohamed M. Atalla and Dawon Kahng at Bell Labs in 1959,[4][5] led to the development of the power MOSFET by Hitachi in 1969,[6] and the single-chip microprocessor by Federico Faggin, Marcian Hoff, Masatoshi Shima and Stanley Mazor at Intel in 1971.[7]

The development of MOS integrated circuit (MOS IC) chips and microprocessors made a range of automotive applications economically feasible in the 1970s. In 1971, Fairchild Semiconductor and RCA Laboratories proposed the use of MOS large-scale integration (LSI) chips for a wide range of automotive electronic applications, including a transmission control unit (TCU), adaptive cruise control (ACC), alternators, automatic headlight dimmers, electric fuel pumps, electronic fuel-injection, electronic ignition control, electronic tachometers, sequential turn signals, speed indicators, tire-pressure monitors, voltage regulators, windshield wiper control, Electronic Skid Prevention (ESP), and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).[8]

In the early 1970s, the Japanese electronics industry began producing integrated circuits and microcontrollers for the Japanese automobile industry, used for in-car entertainment, automatic wipers, electronic locks, dashboard, and engine control.[9] The Ford EEC (Electronic Engine Control) system, which utilized the Toshiba TLCS-12 PMOS microprocessor, went into mass production in 1975.[10][11] In 1978, the Cadillac Seville featured a "trip computer" based on a 6802 microprocessor. Electronically-controlled ignition and fuel injection systems allowed automotive designers to achieve vehicles meeting requirements for fuel economy and lower emissions, while still maintaining high levels of performance and convenience for drivers. Today's automobiles contain a dozen or more processors, in functions such as engine management, transmission control, climate control, antilock braking, passive safety systems, navigation, and other functions.[12]

The power MOSFET and the microcontroller, a type of single-chip microprocessor, led to significant advances in electric vehicle technology. MOSFET power converters allowed operation at much higher switching frequencies, made it easier to drive, reduced power losses, and significantly reduced prices, while single-chip microcontrollers could manage all aspects of the drive control and had the capacity for battery management.[3] MOSFETs are used in vehicles[13] such as automobiles,[14] cars,[15] trucks,[14] electric vehicles,[3] and smart cars.[16] MOSFETs are used for the electronic control unit (ECU),[17] while the power MOSFET and IGBT are used as the load drivers for automotive loads such as motors, solenoids, ignition coils, relays, heaters and lamps.[13] In 2000, the average mid-range passenger vehicle had an estimated $100–200 of power semiconductor content, increasing by a potential 3–5 times for electric and hybrid vehicles. As of 2017, the average vehicle has over 50 actuators, typically controlled by power MOSFETs or other power semiconductor devices.[13]

Another important technology that enabled modern highway-capable electric cars is the lithium-ion battery.[18] It was invented by John Goodenough, Rachid Yazami and Akira Yoshino in the 1980s,[19] and commercialized by Sony and Asahi Kasei in 1991.[20] The lithium-ion battery was responsible for the development of electric vehicles capable of long-distance travel, by the 2000s.[18]

Automotive electronics or automotive embedded systems are distributed systems, and according to different domains in the automotive field, they can be classified into:

1. Engine electronics
2. Transmission electronics
3. Chassis electronics
4. Passive safety
5. Driver assistance
6. Passenger comfort
7. Entertainment systems
8. Electronic integrated cockpit systems

On average, a 2020s car has 50—150 chips, according to Chris Isidore of CNN Business.[21]

In order to minimize the risk of dangerous failures, safety-related electronic systems have to be developed following the applicable product liability requirements. Disregard for, or inadequate application of these standards can lead to not only personal injuries, but also severe legal and economic consequences such as product cancellations or recalls.

The IEC 61508 standard, generally applicable to electrical/electronic/programmable safety-related products, is only partially adequate for automotive-development requirements. Consequently, for the automotive industry, this standard is replaced by the existing ISO 26262, currently released as a Final Draft International Standard (FDIS). ISO/DIS 26262 describes the entire product life-cycle of safety-related electrical/electronic systems for road vehicles. It has been published as an international standard in its final version in November 2011. The implementation of this new standard will result in modifications and various innovations in the automobile electronics development process, as it covers the complete product life-cycle from the concept phase until its decommissioning.

As more functions of the automobile are connected to short- or long-range networks, cybersecurity of systems against unauthorized modification is required. With critical systems such as engine controls, transmission, airbags, and braking connected to internal diagnostic networks, remote access could result in a malicious intruder altering the function of systems or disabling them, possibly causing injuries or fatalities. Every new interface presents a new "attack surface". The same facility that allows the owner to unlock and start a car from a smartphone app also presents risks due to remote access. Auto manufacturers may protect the memory of various control microprocessors both to secure them from unauthorized changes and also to ensure only manufacturer-authorized facilities can diagnose or repair the vehicle. Systems such as keyless entry rely on cryptographic techniques to ensure "replay" or "man-in-the-middle attacks" attacks cannot record sequences to allow later break-in to the automobile.[22]

In 2015 the German general automobile club commissioned an investigation of the vulnerabilities of one manufacturer's electronics system, which could have led to such exploits as unauthorized remote unlocking of the vehicle.[23]

• Cellport Systems
• Vetronics

• William B. Ribbens and Norman P. Mansour (2003). Understanding automotive electronics (6th ed.). Newnes. ISBN 9780750675994.

• International Automotive Electronics Congress
• Society of Automotive Engineers
• Clemson Vehicular Electronics Laboratory (Automotive Electronics Section)