The modern passenger vehicle is equipped with an unprecedented array of features which improve the driveability and safety for the driver. Many aspects of today's vehicles are involved with safety, some features having been introduced solely for their life-saving properties - the airbag is a prime example. Having provided an impressive array of safety features, the automotive designer must also devote attention to the question of reliability and dependability of the various safety mechanisms. This paper considers the implementation of self-checking strategies in various forms including: self-checking at switch-on, manually-activated auto-test, and continuous self-check, based on a continuous learning model. The cost implications of different self-checking approaches is also considered, and an overall set of recommendations is presented. For the covering abstract see ITRD E116488.
Abstract