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Standardization Promotes the Safety of Autonomous Driving

February 4, 2025

Murata’s vision for the MEMS sensor business is to enable safe and autonomous driving. We aim to achieve this goal by developing and manufacturing even higher-performance inertial sensors, as well as actively participating in the development of international standards in the automotive industry.

The operation of supply chains in the automotive industry is guided by numerous standards that companies have collaboratively developed to ensure quality and safety. One key standard is ISO 26262 Road vehicles – Functional safety, which aims to prevent hazardous situations arising from vehicle malfunctions. This standard defines the methods and minimum requirements under which developed products can be approved for use in mass-produced road vehicles. In practice, nearly all major vehicle manufacturers adhere to ISO 26262 themselves and require compliance from their supply chains in the development of new products.

Ensuring Functional Safety

I serve as a Functional Safety Manager in Murata’s inertial sensor development projects. My role is to ensure that functional safety is taken into account in products aimed at safety-critical systems in vehicles, and that the necessary actions required by the ISO 26262 standard are carried out as planned. Systematic failures can be minimized through careful design and comprehensive validation testing. Our sensors include up to hundreds of self-diagnostic functions that continuously monitor sensor performance and can nearly immediately alert the vehicle of a potential fault condition. Multiple analyses, simulations, and tests confirm that the requirements have been defined successfully and that the sensor design has met its objectives. With thorough documentation, we are able to demonstrate to our customers that our sensors are suitable for use in safety-critical systems. This work requires significant contributions from various aspects of product development projects.

Murata Involved in International Standardization

Standards strongly define our operations, and we want to influence their content. We have been developing sensors for safety-critical systems in the automotive industry for decades, and our expertise in the design and manufacturing of MEMS inertial sensors represents the global state of the art. Therefore, we also have a lot to contribute to the development of common industry standards.

Murata Finland participates in the Smart Mobility standardization monitoring group maintained by SFS Finnish Standards. The group consists of several Finnish companies and other stakeholders in the automotive industry. Being part of the national monitoring group opens up opportunities to participate in the development of international standards within ISO (International Organization for Standardization) technical committees. Through this, I have had the opportunity, as a representative of Murata, to join a working group that develops functional safety fundamental standards for the automotive industry. The working group includes about one hundred experts from leading automotive companies around the world, ranging from Tier 2* component manufacturers to OEM** vehicle manufacturers.

Murata Finland is involved in developing two functional safety standards for the automotive industry. In addition to the ISO 26262 standard, we have influenced the content of the ISO 21448 Safety of the intended functionality standard. This standard is intended for the development of autonomous vehicles. While the ISO 26262 standard ensures that a vehicle malfunction does not create a hazardous situation, the ISO 21448 standard ensures that an autonomous vehicle makes correct decisions in all possible driving scenarios. The need for this standard was identified when automatic emergency braking systems began to become common. In several situations, vehicles would initiate emergency braking based on incorrect situational awareness, thereby creating an apparent hazard. Today, as autonomous features in vehicles become more widespread, the importance of this standard is increasing even further.

The development of ISO standards relies on seeking consensus. Decisions are made through discussions. Sometimes these discussions can become heated, and occasionally votes are held between different options. According to ISO rules, each member country has one vote regardless of its size, which particularly benefits relatively small countries like Finland.

Benefits of Standardization

Through standardization, we can develop new technology that enhances safety and saves lives. Additionally, participation in standardization allows us to influence industry development and share knowledge among experts. Thus, it also provides an excellent opportunity for networking and developing our professional skills. For this reason, participating in international standardization work is of utmost importance and significance.

Ville Ahtee
Functional Safety Manager, AD & ADAS

*Tier 2 suppliers are companies that provide parts or materials to Tier 1 suppliers, who then assemble and deliver systems directly to automotive manufacturers.

**OEM=Original Equipment Manufacturer

(Photo: Shutterstock)

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