How to Verify Automotive Ethernet Transmitter Compliance

Automotive Ethernet is a high-speed, low-latency physical layer in-vehicle communication network designed for automotive connectivity applications. It is adapted from the established Ethernet standards and complements the traditional controller area network or CAN bus, suited for cost-sensitive low-speed control applications. Unlike the traditional Ethernet, automotive Ethernet offers high-speed data transfer and high-volume data communication, all in a single twisted pair cable for full duplex communication. It has low latency, which is critical for real-time systems like advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

Implementing automotive Ethernet for in-vehicle networks requires making sure the designs comply with industry standards, including:

• Transceiver testing for Open Alliance TC1, TC8, TC12, TC15 and IEEE 802.3cg, 802.3bw, 802.3bp, and 802.3ch
• Receiver testing for OPEN Alliance TC1, TC12, IEEE 802.3bw and 802.3bp
• Protocol trigger and decode for IEEE 802.3bw and 802.3bp
• Channel testing for Open Alliance TC1, TC9, TC15, IEEE 802.3bw, 802.3bp and 802.3ch

You can use protocol triggering and decode software to configure protocol-level trigger conditions specific to automotive Ethernet. This allows you to eliminate errors by viewing packets at the protocol level. Decoding at the protocol layer enables you to map errors back to the physical bus and debug the root causes of the errors.

Automotive Ethernet first saw the introduction of lower speeds (10 Mbps) and multigigabit speed applications in 2019 and 2020. Now automotive Ethernet PHY standards under IEEE 802.3ch are available for 2.5 Gbps, 5 Gbps, and 10Gbps, called IEEE 802.3ch. The NAV Alliance has working groups working to create physical layer specifications and management parameters for 25 Gbps and 50 Gbps electrical interfaces for automotive Ethernet networks.