Semiconductor Maker Implements New Test for Automotive Ethernet

Organization

• semiconductor manufacturer

Challenges

• set up a new test for automotive Ethernet

• create real-world conditions in the lab

Solutions

• Infiniium MXR-Series real-time oscilloscopes

• AE6900T Automotive Ethernet Compliance solution

• IxNetwork L2–3 network infrastructure performance testing

Results

• quickly set up and test automotive Ethernet designs

• simulate realistic user applications and scenarios in the lab

Introduction

Advances in autonomous driving, connected vehicles, and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) require more robust and reliable high-speed in-vehicle networks (IVNs). Automotive Ethernet addresses these needs with reduced cost, weight, and complexity. The advantages of automotive Ethernet over other IVN technologies (for example, LIN, CAN, FlexRay) include multipoint connections, higher bandwidth, and low latency. In addition, automotive Ethernet has room to grow, from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, and most recently with 2.5, 5, and 10 Gbps released as part of IEEE 802.3ch

The customer, a global semiconductor company providing chipsets and modules that enable secure connections and infrastructure, needed to implement a new 1 Gbps automotive Ethernet test. It is well-versed in the technological trends of its target markets of automotive, industrial, and mobile. It also understands the importance of standards to ensure technological interoperability

Challenge: Testing Real-Life Scenarios in the Lab

The business group that conducts network testing has used Keysight’s Infiniium oscilloscope for hardware characterization and validation of microprocessor interfaces. A new project requires the customer to implement 1 Gbps automotive Ethernet testing, including a test called Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN

TSN is a set of standards to enable time-critical applications on Ethernet-based communication networks. It is a higher-level protocol that sits on top of the physical layer (PHY

TSN supports real-time control and synchronization of high-output electronic control units (ECUs) over a single standard Ethernet network. Figure 2 shows a simple version of what might happen in a single port: ADAS, infotainment, and regular updates. In a real system, one port would see exchanges of 150 to 200 data streams. Each stream has its own priority, emergency level, and application data. TSN testing examines the entire narrative, with all the ports connected to the system, to see exactly how the network is behaving

The results need to be precise. They must qualify the packet loss, latency, jitter, and delay to ensure no dropped packets

Although the customer was not familiar with the terminologies of TSN in the test plan for automotive Ethernet, it knew that the oscilloscope alone would not be enough. Not only did the customer need to know which of the many standards to test, but it was also looking for a solution that covers both the PHY and networking layers of the automotive Ethernet

The biggest challenges, however, are the fact that automotive Ethernet demands rigorous compliance verification and the need to create real-life workload simulations in the lab. The customer needs to ensure that these standards work under realistic conditions