Autonomous parameter and schedule configuration for TDMA-based communication protocols such as FlexRay

One goal of research activities is finding ways to manage the growing complexity of embedded systems using self configuration methods. While autonomous configuration could potentially be used in safety-critical and real-time systems, the basic requirements are not yet in place. This paper will outline a concept for the real autonomous configuration of TDMA-based communication processes, which currently does not exist. The paper initially addresses the TDMA-specific framework conditions and a potential solution. The issue of the mandatory a-priori known schedule is resolved using a generic schedule, because a simple method based on "free-slot-reserved-for further-nodes" is not feasible. The most difficult part - the startup - was implemented through the generic schedule and an ID-based collision resolution process. To demonstrate the viability of the concept, the configuration method was implemented using a FlexRay communication system. This also satisfied the goal of eliminating the need for additional hardware and preserving the fault tolerant multimaster structure of the FlexRay system. The functionality of the concept was validated under different scenarios. The configuration times were analyzed, the results of which are also detailed here.