INTERCONNECTION Zonal Architecture with DDS and TSN
Tobias Fieger, global business development manager of automotive, RTI
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n today’s connected world, the demand for real-time data communication is increasing in industries such as automotive, healthcare, industrial automation and more. To meet this demand, the combination of standard technologies such as Data Distribution Service (DDS) with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) provides a powerful automotive manufacturers. DDS is a real-time publish-subscribe middleware standard designed for real-time and scalable data distribution. It ensures the timely delivery of data with high reliability, scalability and interoperability. TSN is a set of standards designed to provide deterministic real-time communications over Ethernet networks. This combination gives developers the best of both worlds.
Let’s take a closer look at this technology pairing in the automotive industry. The integration of DDS with TSN has immense potential, particularly in the context of implementing zonal architecture. Zonal architecture in vehicles involves dividing the vehicle into different zones, each containing responsible for different functions such as powertrain, chassis control and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Here, the capabilities of DDS and TSN complement
each other to improve communication throughout the vehicle.
Here are the top 5 ways that DDS and TSN can revolutionise zonal architecture in next-generation vehicles: Deterministic Communication: Safety-critical data, such as sensor data from ADAS components or control signals for the powertrain, requires deterministic communication to ensure timely processing and response. TSN ensures that such data packets are transmitted with bounded latency and low jitter, enabling real-time performance. Meanwhile, DDS provides Quality of Service (QoS) controls to ensure that data goes to the right place at the right time, every time.
Scalability and Flexibility: As the complexity of automotive systems continues to increase, the ability for scalability and provides a scalable communication framework capable of handling large-scale data distribution across distributed systems. TSN complements this by offering standardised mechanisms for deterministic communication over Ethernet networks, ensuring seamless integration with Enhanced Reliability: In automotive applications, data reliability is critical to
ensure the safety and integrity of vehicle operations. The combination of DDS and TSN enhances reliability by providing fault-tolerant communication and redundant paths for critical data transmission. This ensures that even in the event of network failures or disruptions, essential information can still be exchanged Real-Time Data Fusion: Zonal architecture involves the fusion of data from multiple different zones. DDS facilitates real-time data sharing throughout the vehicle by providing a standardised data model communication paradigm. TSN ensures that the fused data is delivered with deterministic timing, enabling accurate perception and decision-making algorithms in ADAS and autonomous driving systems. By adopting zonal architecture coupled with DDS and the wiring complexity within the vehicle. Ethernet-based TSN networks allow for the consolidation of communication channels, eliminating the need for separate wiring minimise the amount of data that has to be distributed. This not only reduces weight and troubleshooting procedures.
Figure 1: DDS and TSN network layers in the communications stack. 36 FEBRUARY 2025 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
In summary, the integration of DDS with TSN presents a compelling solution for implementing zonal architecture in modern vehicles. By leveraging the strengths of both technologies, automakers can achieve deterministic communication, scalability, reliability, real-time data fusion and reduced wiring complexity, thereby paving the way tomorrow.
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