MUNICH, Germany — Continental AG has received a safety certification according to the IEC 61508 SIL-3 standard for a chipset used as brake controller. The company claims it is the first automotive supplier ever having received such a certification; the certificate comprises the chipset hardware as well as the design and manufacturing process.

The chipset in question consists of Continental's SPACE microcontroller and a PCU mixed-signal chip. The microcontroller is equipped with two parallel processing units and an I/O processor, up to 3 MB flash memory and a range of peripheral and communications interfaces for CAN and FlexRay buses as well as for EBS (electronic brake system) circuitry.

The PCU chip contains the sensor interfaces for wheel rotation speed and yaw rate as well as for EBS actors such as valves and relays. In addition, the PCU embraces a circuitry that monitors the microcontroller and switches it off in the case a failure occurs.

While the technology itself is in use at the tier one for quite a while, the SIL-3 certificate is new, the company said. Experts believe that safety certifications according to IEV 61508 will gain significance in the years to come since an increasing number of electronic components in cars will be safety-relevant.

The certificate has been issued by German safety service provider Tuev Sued.

SIL-3 is the second highest safety level in the IEC 61508 functional safety standard. It correlates to a level where human live is at stake and thus the highest level used for automotive parts. The highest safety level in this system, SIL-4, correlates to the danger potential where many lives could potentially be affected by a technical failure such as a chemical plant or a nuclear power plant.

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Tuev Sued