#zonal #vehicle-centralized #eearchitecture #zone #electronic-control-unit

Zone ECU

The hardware link between vehicle computers and distributed embedded ECUs, mechatronics, sensors, and actuators

Future electrical/electronic (E/E) architectures will shift from domain-specific to vehicle-centralized, zone-oriented architectures. Today’s distributed application software will be consolidated in only a few powerful vehicle computers. These vehicle computers will be connected to the remaining embedded control units, sensors, and actuators via zone electronic control units (ECUs). The reduced number of control units leads to lower system complexity and an increase resource efficiency.

Reduces

complexity

by reducing the number of ECUs and simplifying the wiring harnesses

high bandwidth communication

Cutting edge Ethernet technology as enabler between Zone ECUs and vehicle computers

New zonal level for optimized E/E architectures

Bosch is developing components for new electrical/electronic (E/E) architectures that ensure the complexity of future vehicle systems stays manageable. These centralized and zonal architectures enable “thinking” to be separated from “acting.”

Thinking is the computing layer or the “brain” of the vehicle with vehicle computers like the vehicle integration platform.

This enables application software to be consolidated from distributed ECUs into a few very powerful vehicle computers.

To connect the computing layer to the thousands of actuators, sensors, mechatronics and smart ECUs, a new layer, the “zonal layer” with zone ECUs, will be introduced.

Left: domain-oriented E/E architecture, Right: zone-oriented E/E architecture

Thinking is the computing layer or the “brain” of the vehicle with vehicle computers like the vehicle integration platform.

This enables application software to be consolidated from distributed ECUs into a few very powerful vehicle computers.

To connect the computing layer to the thousands of actuators, sensors, mechatronics and smart ECUs, a new layer, the “zonal layer” with zone ECUs, will be introduced.

Key components in centralized E/E architectures

How the zone ECUs work

New approaches and new technologies are needed on the computing and zonal layers as well as for the communication between these two layers. Bosch supports vehicle manufacturers on their individual transition paths with a broad product portfolio, technological expertise, and innovations such as automotive Ethernet technologies, including Asymmetric Ethernet and Time-Sensitive Networking, which make it possible to connect high-bandwidth sensors to the vehicle computers through zone ECUs. This new architecture lay the foundation for software-defined vehicles.

Technical data

up to 24

Ethernet interfaces

up to 20

CAN interfaces

up to 25

LIN interfaces

up to 150

power outputs

PRODUCT BENEFITS FOR MANUFACTURERS

Manage E/E architecture complexity
Reduce number of ECUs, fuse boxes
Simplified wiring harness

Ensure cutting-edge security and safety
Resource efficient solutions (e.g., power consumption, weight, size, bus load)
Minimize total cost of ownership

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