The CRESEC project (“IP for Zonal Architectures of Multiple Nodes Connected through Secured Remote Control Protocols”) has been successfully completed by Technica Electronics. The goal was to develop “Smart Edge Device IP” for zonal vehicle architectures that enables communication, time synchronization, and secure remote control via a 10BASE-T1S Ethernet network without the need for an additional microcontroller or application software on the edge nodes.
The developed IP core integrates a 10BASE-T1S physical-layer interface with PLCA for multidrop networks, a remote control data path based on the Open Alliance TC18 specification, and a MACsec data path with AES-GCM encryption. IEEE 802.1X MKA is used for authentication and key management. Time synchronization is performed via gPTP in accordance with IEEE 802.1AS. The solution was validated under real-world conditions in a demonstrator with four peripheral nodes (see figure). The nodes were both synchronized via gPTP and secured by MACsec.
The project, which is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry as part of the PERTE Chip Program, thus addresses key requirements for future zonal E/E architectures: reduced hardware complexity, standardized Ethernet communication, integrated cybersecurity, and deterministic synchronization.
Technica Electronics Barcelona S.L. was founded in 2019 and is a subsidiary of Technica Engineering GmbH in Munich, Germany. (oe)
