Automate ISO 26262 FMEDA and minimize fault simulation
A central concept in ISO 26262 is that of safety goals. Random hardware failures may lead to violation of safety goals and hazards that could result in loss of human lives. Automotive ASICs/FPGAs/SoCs include safety mechanisms that prevent or control random hardware failures. Engineers must list potential failure modes and provide evidence that the safety architecture achieves the target automotive safety integrity level (ASIL) of the chip or safety element out of context (SEooC). Failure modes, effects, and diagnostic analysis (FMEDA) is a powerful method to assess the safety architecture and implementation.
The FMEDA process has three crucial steps:
- Validation of the SoC safety architecture and partitioning of hardware functions and faults according to relevant failure modes.
- Determination of the diagnostic coverage, which is a measure of the ability of safety mechanisms to prevent safety goal violations.
- Computation of the hardware safety metrics (SPFM, LFM, PMHF) according to ISO 26262.
OneSpin FMEDA Automation Safety Apps
OneSpin automates the FMEDA steps through a series of safety apps integrated in a comprehensive, interoperable flow that leverages structural analysis, formal proofs, and expert knowledge. The apps can be applied at chip level, and support both RTL and gate-level design models. Crucially, the OneSpin FMEDA flow does not require a test bench, reduce or eliminates slow and effort-intensive fault simulation, and quickly detects shortcomings in the safety architecture.
Fault Contribution Analysis (FCA)
App The FCA App performs an automatic, safety-aware partitioning of complex SoCs. Faults are allocated to hardware parts and sub-parts taking into account safety mechanisms. This reduces engineering effort, enables quick estimates of diagnostic coverage, and validates the safety architecture, while also minimizing the need for fault simulation.
Fault Propagation and Detection Analysis (FPA/FDA) Apps
The FPA and FDA Apps perform a rigorous, accurate faults analysis. Without the need for a test bench or fault simulation, these apps can identify safe faults (Safe Fault Fraction), and measure diagnostic coverage. Moreover, they may also identify unprotected logic.
Hardware Metric Computation (HMC) App
The HMC App integrates with other OneSpin apps to enable both early estimation and accurate computation of hardware safety metrics (SPFM, LFM, PMHF). Multiple users can work in parallel without the complexity of handling multiple spreadsheets. Moreover, ISO 26262 work products can be generated by non-experts using a repeatable and robust flow.
New to ISO 26262?
- OneSpin provides FMEDA flow deployment and knowedge-transfer services
OneSpin ISO 26262 FMEDA Flow
- Predictable path to ISO 26262 compliance
- Minimize fault simulation
- Replace manual analysis steps
- Repeatable and robust
Superior TCL1/TCL2/TCL3 Tool Qualification for up to ASIL D SoCs and SEooCs
