Name: Automotive Software Architectures: An Introduction
Author: Staron, Miroslaw
ISBN: 3319586092

Automotive Software Architectures: An Introduction

Staron, Miroslaw ● 2017

This book introduces the concept of software architecture as one of the cornerstones of software in modern cars. Following a historical overview of the evolution of software in modern cars and a discussion of the main challenges driving that evolution, Chapter 2 describes the main architectural styles of automotive software and their use in cars’ software. In Chapter 3, readers will find a description of the software development processes used to develop software on the car manufacturers’ side. Chapter 4 then introduces AUTOSAR – an important standard in automotive software. Chapter 5 goes beyond simple architecture and describes the detailed design process for automotive software using Simulink, helping readers to understand how detailed design links to high-level design. Next, Chapter 6 presents a method for assessing the quality of the architecture – ATAM (Architecture Trade-off Analysis Method) – and provides a sample assessment, while Chapter 7 presents an alternative way of assessing the architecture, namely by using quantitative measures and indicators. Subsequently Chapter 8 dives deeper into one of the specific properties discussed in Chapter 6 – safety – and details an important standard in that area, the ISO/IEC 26262 norm. Lastly, Chapter 9 presents a set of future trends that are currently emerging and have the potential to shape automotive software engineering in the coming years.

This book explores the concept of software architecture for modern cars and is intended for both beginning and advanced software designers. It mainly aims at two different groups of audience – professionals working with automotive software who need to understand concepts related to automotive architectures, and students of software engineering or related fields who need to understand the specifics of automotive software to be able to construct cars or their components. Accordingly, the book also contains a wealth of real-world examples illustrating the concepts discussed and requires no prior background in the automotive domain.

Why Read This Book

You will learn how modern vehicle software is structured and why architecture matters for safety, scalability, and reuse—straight from an OEM perspective that links high-level styles to AUTOSAR and Simulink-based detailed design. The book gives a practical roadmap for taking architectural decisions that survive real automotive constraints: distributed ECUs, variability, and long product lifecycles.

Who Will Benefit

Embedded software engineers, system architects, and technical leads at OEMs or suppliers who need to design, evaluate, or integrate automotive software architectures and map them to AUTOSAR and model-based implementations.

Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic software-engineering skills, familiarity with embedded systems concepts (tasks, interrupts, ECUs), and general understanding of control software; some exposure to modeling (e.g., Simulink) is helpful but not mandatory.

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Key Takeaways

Understand the historical evolution and main drivers behind automotive software architectures and why architecture matters in vehicles.
Compare and evaluate common architectural styles used in cars (monolithic, component-based, service-oriented, layered) against automotive constraints.
Apply AUTOSAR concepts to map software components to ECUs and reason about middleware, communication, and configuration (ARXML-centric view).
Model and refine detailed designs using Simulink so you can link high-level architecture decisions to executable control software.
Design for variability, reuse, and long-term maintainability across product lines and OEM–supplier boundaries.
Navigate OEM software-development processes and understand the organizational and lifecycle implications of architectural choices.

Topics Covered

1. Introduction: The role of software architecture in modern cars
2. Historical evolution and driving challenges (complexity, safety, timelines)
3. Architectural styles for automotive software (monolithic, component-based, service-oriented, layered)
4. Software development processes and OEM–supplier collaboration
5. AUTOSAR: principles, layers, and practical use in production software
6. Mapping software architecture to ECUs, networks, and deployment models
7. Model‑based detailed design with Simulink and linkages to architecture
8. Variability management, product lines, and configuration practices
9. Dependability and safety considerations (design for ISO 26262 concerns)
10. Case studies and examples from automotive projects
11. Emerging trends: connectivity, adaptive platforms, and architectural implications
12. Conclusions and guidance for architects and engineering teams

Languages, Platforms & Tools

CC++MATLAB/SimulinkXML/ARXMLElectronic Control Units (ECUs)AUTOSAR Classic and Adaptive platformsIn-vehicle networks (CAN, FlexRay, Automotive Ethernet)Embedded Linux (for adaptive/high-level domains)AUTOSAR toolchains / ARXML-based toolflowsTypical OEM supplier toolchains (Vector, ETAS, Elektrobit-style toolsets)UML/modeling tools and configuration management systems

How It Compares

Instead of a deep vendor/tool reference or a coding-focused text, this book sits between AUTOSAR technical compendia and model‑based design guides: it complements AUTOSAR manuals and Simulink how‑tos by tying architectural thinking directly to OEM processes and deployment decisions.