Design

Software-design support streamlines safety certification

10th February 2015
Siobhan O'Gorman
0

A software-design support package, which streamlines certification of safety-critical systems featuring STM32 MCUs, has been developed by STMicroelectronics and YOGITECH. Together, the companies provide a set of STM32 safety manuals to assist application design, as well as Software Test Libraries (fRSTL) certified according to the IEC61508:2010 functional-safety standard. 

To create the fRSTL and the related tools suite (fRTools), YOGITECH used its patented fRMethodology white-box approach for safety analysis and verification. According to the company, the fRSTL and fRTools provide better diagnostic coverage than conventional black-box testing.

The YOGITECH fRSTL_stm32 libraries provide a turnkey STL that accelerates certification to IEC 61508 Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 2/3, while also minimising test costs and development risks. By referring to the STM32 safety manuals, customers can develop their own STL. Either approach allows a certified safety-critical system using a standard STM32 MCU, rather than a specialised safety MCU with dedicated on-chip diagnostic circuitry.

Covering the STM32 F0, F1, F2, F3, F4 and L1 series, the manuals and libraries provide engineers with a choice of over 500 devices offering high performance and rich features for safety-critical applications. Support for other STM32 series will be added in the near future. The fRSTL software libraries are certified by TÜV Rheinland according to the IEC61508:2010 functional safety standard for systematic capability (SC3) and a Diagnostic Coverage according to the direct-current fault model that can be used in applications up to and including SIL2 (HW Fault Tolerance-HFT of 0) and SIL3 (HFT of 1). The Safety Manuals also provide customers with instructions about how to use the results in the framework of other functional-safety standards such as ISO 13849, IEC 62061, IEC 61800, IEC 60730, and ISO 26262.

“With our safety design package now ready for customers to use, the STM32 MCU family offers the best solution for an even wider range of safety-critical industrial applications targeting the IEC 61508 standard,” said Michel Buffa, General Manager, Microcontroller Division, STMicroelectronics. “While the safety manuals provide the necessary guidelines and examples of how to use STM32 in a safety context, the YOGITECH libraries, available under affordable license terms, will speed up and secure the SIL certification process.”

“Thanks to the partnership with STMicroelectronics, we are offering to STM32 users a standard product simply unmatched in terms of quality and convenience,” said Silvano Motto, CEO, YOGITECH. “The fRSTL_stm32 Software Libraries are extending our IP portfolio for safety-critical systems, confirming YOGITECH in a lead position as a supplier of solutions in accordance with the IEC61508 standard and related derivatives applied to integrated circuits."

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