Single Event Upsets: Cosmic radiation makes Toyota computers go haywire?
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From: john on 17 Mar 2010 23:43 Electronics makers have known for decades about "single event upsets," computer errors from radiation created when cosmic rays strike the atmosphere. With more than 3,000 complaints to U.S. regulators of random sudden acceleration problems in Toyota models, several researchers say single event upsets deserve a close look. The phenomenon can trigger software crashes that come and go without a trace. Unlike interference from radio waves, there's no way to physically block particles; such errors typically have to be prevented by a combination of software and hardware design." And an anonymous tipster told NHTSA last month that "the automotive industry has yet to truly anticipate SEUs."
From: larry moe 'n curly on 18 Mar 2010 01:23 john wrote: > > Electronics makers have known for decades about "single event upsets," > computer errors from radiation created when cosmic rays strike the > atmosphere. > > With more than 3,000 complaints to U.S. regulators of random sudden > acceleration problems in Toyota models, several researchers say single > event upsets deserve a close look. So why have cosmic rays affected Toyotas more than GM vehicles, which have had 90% fewer reports of unintended acceleration? If the two companies don't use the same chips, then they at least use chips that were made the same way. OTOH chip manufacturers started to tackle cosmic ray trouble decades ago, both for space travel (International Rectifier even now advertises power supplies that can withstand trips through the Van Allen radiation belts) and, starting around 1980s, for DRAM chips. But with the latter the problem wasn't really radiation from space but from the packaging material for the chips, and that was solved by switching to low-radiation ceramics (apparently plastic packaging, now by far the most common, was never affected) and applying radiation barrier coatings. Also almost all digital chips are now the CMOS type, a kind of construction that's naturally more resistant to radiation because the on/off switch of each transistor is next to an electrical charge that deflects most radiation particles.
From: ransley on 18 Mar 2010 08:36 On Mar 17, 10:43 pm, john <johngd...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > Electronics makers have known for decades about "single event upsets," > computer errors from radiation created when cosmic rays strike the > atmosphere. > > With more than 3,000 complaints to U.S. regulators of random sudden > acceleration problems in Toyota models, several researchers say single > event upsets deserve a close look. > > The phenomenon can trigger software crashes that come and go without a > trace. Unlike interference from radio waves, there's no way to > physically block particles; such errors typically have to be prevented > by a combination of software and hardware design." > > And an anonymous tipster told NHTSA last month that "the automotive > industry has yet to truly anticipate SEUs." I heard ot was the momentary worm holes, single event upsets are mistaken for that female monthly event.
From: nm5k on 18 Mar 2010 12:46 On Mar 17, 10:43 pm, john <johngd...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > Electronics makers have known for decades about "single event upsets," > computer errors from radiation created when cosmic rays strike the > atmosphere. > > With more than 3,000 complaints to U.S. regulators of random sudden > acceleration problems in Toyota models, several researchers say single > event upsets deserve a close look. > > The phenomenon can trigger software crashes that come and go without a > trace. Unlike interference from radio waves, there's no way to > physically block particles; such errors typically have to be prevented > by a combination of software and hardware design." > > And an anonymous tipster told NHTSA last month that "the automotive > industry has yet to truly anticipate SEUs." Can you spell Faraday cage? Most ECU's are in metal boxes, and most have the leads decoupled with ferrite beads, etc. The car body itself is a large Faraday cage with a few openings.. This is basically BS... Not to mention that for the past few years we have been in a solar minimum with little real activity. A close lightning strike has much the same energy, and how many cars do you see die on the road when lightning strikes a building nearby? :/ This is really starting to get ridiculous..
From: hls on 18 Mar 2010 14:22
<nm5k(a)wt.net> wrote in message news:054f2f36-f455-47ae-9a41- Can you spell Faraday cage? Most ECU's are in metal boxes, and most have the leads decoupled with ferrite beads, etc. \****** It has been a while since I had any interest in this, but IIRC a Faraday cage such as you describe would probably not be adequate to stop events related to cosmic "rays". But it is very unlikely that these sorts of events would lead to repeated problems in an automotive electronic control unit either. |