The Time Synchronization of CAN-FD and Ethernet for Zonal E/E Architecture

In recent times, the automotive electric/electronics (E/E) architecture has been changing to meet various requirements such as safety, entertainment, and driver assistance. The zonal E/E architecture that groups electronic control units (ECUs) by their physical location is expected the future automotive E/E architecture. In the zonal architecture, the time synchronization between the nodes in the different zone is a key challenge for reliable and stable vehicular operations. This paper proposes a methodology of time synchronization for the zonal architecture based on the controller area network flexible data rate (CAN-FD), Ethernet. We focus on applying the precision time protocol (PTP) format to CAN-FD messages. The implementation and evaluation are performed by TC275-based embedded boards.