1. What is ISO 26262?
It is an international standard for functional safety in automotive systems. It defines processes to avoid hazards caused by software or hardware failures.
2. What is functional safety?
It ensures that a system responds safely even when faults occur.
3. What is a safety goal?
A top-level safety requirement that defines what must be achieved to avoid hazards.
4. What is a hazard?
A potential source of harm or danger to humans caused by system malfunction.
5. What is ASIL?
Automotive Safety Integrity Level, which defines the required safety level. Levels are A, B, C, D, where D is the highest.
6. What factors define ASIL?
Severity, Exposure, and Controllability of a potential hazard.
7. What is QM?
Quality Management level, meaning the item has no safety relevance but must meet quality standards.
8. What is FMEA?
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis identifies possible failures, their causes, and their impact on the system.
9. What is FTA?
Fault Tree Analysis analyzes root causes of system-level failures using a top-down approach.
10. What is safety mechanism?
A method to detect or prevent system failures, such as watchdog timers or voltage monitoring.
11. What is SPFM?
Single Point Fault Metric measures the system’s ability to handle single point faults.
12. What is LFM?
Latent Fault Metric measures the system’s ability to detect hidden faults before they combine into failures.
13. What is PMHF?
Probabilistic Metric for Hardware Failure measures the random failure rate in hardware components.
14. What is a safety case?
A documented argument showing that the system is safe and meets ISO 26262 requirements.
15. What is safety validation?
It checks if the implemented system satisfies all safety goals.
16. What is safety verification?
It confirms that safety requirements are correctly implemented in design and code.
17. What is freedom from interference?
It means one software component cannot affect another in an unintended way, especially between safety and non-safety code.
18. What is software partitioning?
It separates safety-critical and non-safety software to prevent interference.
19. What is the role of a safety monitor?
It continuously checks system health and triggers actions if faults occur.
20. What is a watchdog timer used for?
It resets the ECU if software becomes unresponsive, preventing system freeze.
21. What is redundancy in safety systems?
Using multiple components to perform the same function so the system can still operate if one fails.
22. What is software testing?
A process to verify that the developed software works correctly and meets requirements.
23. What is the difference between validation and verification?
Verification checks if the software is built right.
Validation checks if the right software is built.
24. What is black-box testing?
Testing software without looking at internal code. Focus is on inputs and outputs.
25. What is white-box testing?
Testing software by checking internal code logic and structure.
26. What is gray-box testing?
It combines black-box and white-box testing approaches.
27. What is regression testing?
Testing done after changes or fixes to ensure new code has not broken existing functionality.
28. What is boundary testing?
Testing software behavior at the extreme limits of input ranges.
29. What is code coverage?
It measures how much of the source code has been executed during testing.
30. What are types of coverage metrics?
- Statement coverage
- Branch coverage
- Decision coverage
- MC/DC (Modified Condition/Decision Coverage)
31. What is MC/DC?
A testing criterion where every condition in a decision has been shown to affect the outcome independently.
32. What is requirement-based testing?
It designs test cases directly from software requirements to ensure full traceability.
33. What is traceability matrix?
A document mapping requirements to test cases, code, and results.
34. What tools are used for testing in automotive software?
- Vector CANoe
- Polyspace
- dSPACE
- ETAS LABCAR
- Jenkins
- TestStand
35. What is the purpose of automated testing?
To run repetitive tests quickly and reduce manual effort.
36. What is software calibration?
Adjusting ECU parameters to achieve target performance, emissions, or drivability.
37. What tools are used for ECU calibration?
- ETAS INCA
- ATI Vision
- Vector CANape
38. What is a calibration map?
A lookup table storing values for engine or battery parameters such as torque or temperature.
39. What is a HEX file?
A compiled file containing ECU software and calibration data to be flashed into the controller.
40. What is flashing or reprogramming?
Loading updated software or calibration data into ECU memory through diagnostic tools.
41. What is ECU validation?
It ensures that the ECU functions correctly under real operating conditions.
42. What are common ECU validation methods?
- Model-in-the-Loop (MIL)
- Software-in-the-Loop (SIL)
- Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)
- Vehicle-level testing
43. What is environmental testing?
It validates ECU performance under extreme temperature, humidity, and vibration.
44. What is durability testing?
It checks how long the ECU and software can perform reliably under repeated use.
45. What is CANoe used for?
For simulation, diagnostics, and network analysis of automotive ECUs using CAN, LIN, and Ethernet.
46. What is the difference between simulation and validation?
Simulation is done in software models. Validation checks actual hardware behavior.
47. What is fault injection testing?
It introduces faults in software or hardware to test how the system reacts and recovers.
48. What is a test harness?
A setup that provides test inputs, monitors outputs, and automates test execution for software modules.
49. What is end-to-end testing?
It tests complete system functionality from input to final output, including hardware and communication.
50. What are key challenges in automotive software validation?
- Managing real-time constraints
- Handling complex communication
- Ensuring safety compliance
- Maintaining traceability across software versions