The function call returns before the world has changed
If you ignore the physics when calling a function during development, you won't discover errors until integration.
Case study: How Bosch managed to drastically reduce FMEA workload with AbRA
Florian Beer from Bosch has developed the AbRA approach, which brings FuSi to life in architecture and makes FMEA workshops unnecessary.
How does a fault tree analysis (FTA) work?
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a tool in systems engineering that supports the assurance of functional safety.
What is an FMEA?
FMEA stands for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. During development, an FMEA ensures that the reliability of the product is acceptable. As a systems engineer, the FMEA is part of our toolbox. I will describe exactly how it works below.
When are "tamper-proof" components useful?
"Tamper-proof" components are nothing new. Back in the 90s, many owners of inkjet printers felt offended when manufacturers began equipping cartridges with chips that prevented refilling. Today, iPhone owners are annoyed by warning messages about a potentially faulty battery. At the same time, however, we now carry out our banking transactions on our smartphones without a care in the world. This...
Safety Integrity Level (SIL): Essential for functional safety
The Safety Integrity Level (SIL) is important for functional safety and is required by standards such as ISO 61508.
Why do we ignore the quality of traceability?
Traceability is undoubtedly an important concept in systems engineering. In many cases, traceability is even prescribed, especially in the context of functional safety. However, the quality of traceability is rarely questioned (except perhaps in an audit) and even more rarely is it actively used in development. This is a problem, because without quality...
Case study: Selection of SoC components with ISO 26262 Part 11
This week I would like to present a case study on the selection of safety-critical components in the automotive environment. More and more vehicles are using single-chip systems (SoC). In the following, I will therefore show how the ISO 26262 Part 11 guideline can help.
The illusion of a simple system
Everyone is talking about increasing complexity, which manifests itself in the number of parts, among other things. But then products like the Citroen Ami come onto the market, a seemingly simple system that supposedly consists of only 250 individual parts. How is this possible? The answer is quite obvious, each of the individual parts is itself highly complex. This trend...
Security in systems engineering
In systems engineering, we differentiate between functional safety and intrusion or IT security. In the past, security often had a lower priority and was sometimes completely neglected. With the introduction of more and more software into systems, security has become an urgent problem. If we don't get security under control, we have a big problem.
Recalls for medical devices - a quality problem
When it comes to functional safety systems, quality is critical: not only are high investments at stake, but also danger to life and limb. Furthermore, such an incident can jeopardize the existence of a company. Increasing complexity in systems leads to increasing quality problems. To name just one example: The number of recalls of...
Tracking up to the code: Is that possible?
To answer the question in the title straight away: Traceability from requirement to code is of course possible. But the effort involved is considerable. When this makes sense and how it can be implemented is the subject of this article.
