Implementing ISO 26262-5: A guide to Functional Safety for Product Development at Hardware Level

Abstract

Abstract The increasing use of electrical and electronics in road vehicles increases the risk for failures caused by malfunctioning electronic systems. The demand for regulations to ensure functional safety is therefore a fact. The standard ISO 26262 is produced specifically for the automotive industry and presents procedures and requirements for manufacturers to follow. This report focuses on ISO 26262-5 which is product development on hardware level. Before starting with the ISO 26262-5, the prerequisites need to be defined. The prerequisites are procedures as Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment, Fault Tree Analysis and safety goal. The safety goals are assigned an ASIL-classification depending on the outcome in case of failure. The ASIL decides the requirements for each safety goal when implementing ISO 26262-5. A method describing the procedures for implementing ISO 26262-5 is developed. The method guides the developer through the steps presented in ISO 26262-5 and provides the requirement to each procedure. For clarity, an example for following the method is provided to show the context within the procedures. The example verified that a result can be reached by following the method. The reliability of the result could not be verified and needs to be compared to a result produced by another method. Depending on the outcome of the comparison, improvements may be necessary to ensure the reliability of the method. The main task for manufacturers or developers regarding the implementation of ISO 26262-5 in the development system is providing the necessary documentation to follow the method.