The time-triggered architecture

The Time-Triggered Architecture (TTA) is a computer architecture for distributed real-time systems in safety critical applications, such as computer controlled brakes, or computer assisted steering in an automobile. The TTA is a composable architecture for the design of large real-time systems. Its main characteristics are a common notion of time in all subsystems of the architecture and the provision of fully specified interfaces, called temporal firewalls, between these subsystems. This paper gives an overview of the TTA, discusses the architectural principles, describes the sensor/actuator interfaces in the TTA and informs about the implementation of fault-tolerance in the TTA.