Programmable Safety in the Automobile Industry
Abstract
This paper discusses the application of state-of-the-art failsafe technologies implemented in controllers, fieldbuses and sensors/actuators specially in the automotive industry. It summarizes the results of a one-year study on practical and theoretical aspects of Safety Engineering. The discussion of multi-vendor features in hardware and software implementing fault diagnosis/failure detection and the appreciation of each one under the economical and legal point of view are supported by the experience gained during two real projects developed to automakers. Engineers and plant managers can take advantage of this study when choosing failsafe technologies to new and retrofit projects.
