Built for embedded automotive chips, the real-time software manages concurrent operations with predictable timing, enhancing reliability and simplifying safety certification.
Modern vehicles depend on embedded processors to manage functions such as braking, steering, and engine control. These processors must handle several tasks at once while responding to inputs in real time.
Standard operating systems lack time precision, which can lead to unpredictable or delayed responses. In safety-critical systems, even a short delay can cause malfunction or failure.
To address this, WITTENSTEIN High Integrity Systems has released a real-time operating system (RTOS) for the Renesas RH850U2A16 Starter Kit. The software enables engineers to test safety-critical applications directly on automotive-grade hardware, ensuring that tasks run within fixed time limits and system performance remains consistent under heavy load.
A real-time operating system controls how multiple software tasks share the same processor. It prioritises operations that are time-sensitive, maintaining predictable execution and system stability. This is essential for automotive applications such as motor control, sensor monitoring, and digital power systems, where timing accuracy directly affects safety and reliability.
The demo runs on Renesas’s RH850/U2A microcontroller, designed to integrate multiple control systems into a single chip. This supports the automotive industry’s move towards unified electronic control units (ECUs) that reduce complexity and hardware cost. Developers can use the kit to validate how their software behaves under real-time conditions before moving to production hardware.
The system is pre-certified to meet international safety standards, including ISO 26262 ASIL D and IEC 61508 SIL 3. Each version is supplied with a Design Assurance Pack that provides all required certification documents, helping teams meet compliance requirements without additional verification effort.
