Automotive OTA specifications for collecting real-time data

Companies in the eSync Alliance include Alpine, Excelfore, HELLA, Molex and ZF. The Alliance is an open industry initiative established to build a secure, multi-vendor path for end-to-end over-the-air (OTA) updating and data services for the connected car, through a global network of cooperating suppliers.

Rick Kreifeldt, Executive Director at the eSync Alliance, said: “With the release of version 1.0 of the compliance specifications, any member of the eSync Alliance can now confidently develop eSync-compliant components of the architecture, whether server, client or agent, which can be smoothly integrated into a full eSync platform quickly and reliably.

“To make a real impact on the growing cost of recalls, an OTA platform must reach all of the ECUs and sensors in a modern car. The costs in terms of time and money of using proprietary technologies for this are simply too high, the industry needs a standardised OTA data pipeline. That’s what the eSync Alliance specifications provide.”

The specifications total nearly 400 pages and consist of Architecture, Requirements, Interfaces and Security.

The specifications will allow Tier-1 suppliers to provide products that are 'pre-provisioned' for OTA, that can be easily integrated into the whole-vehicle OTA platform. Multiple vendors can now provide eSync-compliant OTA server solutions or, alternatively, automakers can develop or adapt their own proprietary cloud solutions to become eSync-compliant if they choose.

The eSync platform helps to avoid increasingly costly and inconvenient vehicle recalls plaguing the automotive industry, where in 2016, software recalls in the USA alone were estimated to have cost $3bn. The new specifications also provide opportunities for carmakers to offer ongoing feature enhancements for vehicles in the field.

The system employs a server-client-agent architecture for secure bi-directional transactions between the cloud and any number of electronic end devices in a vehicle. It can deliver and update software and firmware over-the-air (OTA), and can collect real-time operating data from any end device in the vehicle.

There are three levels of membership of the eSync Alliance: charter, promoter and adopter. All members have access to the specifications, as well as opportunities to attend plug fests and demonstrate compliance of their products.