ISO 26262: Updates, Work, and Challenges

ISO 26262: Updates, Work, and Challenges
4 min read
08 November 2023

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) produced ISO 26262 as a functional safety standard for road vehicles. The standard establishes a framework for creating, testing, and verifying the safety of E/E systems in automobiles. It is intended to prevent any breakdowns or defects in the vehicle's systems from causing accidents or injuries to passengers or other road users.

The standard is divided into ten parts, each focusing on a different aspect of functional safety, such as functional safety management, concept phase, product development at the system level, hardware development, software development, production and operation, supporting processes, and the relationship with other standards.

Updates to ISO 26262

Since the initial ISO 26262 standard was published in 2011, there have been various modifications and changes to the standard. These modifications have been developed to address new technology and issues in the automobile industry.

The publication of ISO 26262-11, one of the most major changes to the standard, occurred in 2018. This addendum contains guidance for the development of safety-critical systems that employ artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques. As AI and ML grow increasingly popular in the automobile sector, this guideline is critical for ensuring that these systems are safe and reliable.

How Does ISO 26262 Work?

ISO 26262 defines a process for controlling and decreasing risks associated with electrical and/or electronic systems. It is based on the notion of a safety life cycle, which consists of the following phases:

  • Planning: During this phase, the system's safety criteria are determined, and a safety plan is created.
  • Analysis: The system is analysed in this phase to identify dangers and potential failure modes.
  • Design and Execution: The system is built and implemented in this phase to meet the safety requirements stated in the planning phase while also eliminating or mitigating the dangers identified in the analysis phase.
  • Verification: During this phase, the system is tested to confirm that it meets the safety criteria and that any hazards have been eliminated or reduced.
  • Validation: During this phase, the system is tested in its intended environment to confirm that it behaves as expected.
  • Production, Operation, and Decommissioning: The system is decommissioned and the safety criteria are met during this period.

What are the ISO 26262 Challenges?

Some of the difficulties in adopting ISO 26262 are as follows:

  • Complexity: The standard is quite complex and covers a wide range of issues, making it challenging to fully grasp and execute.
  • Cost and Time: Meeting the standard's requirements can be time-consuming and expensive, and it may necessitate considerable changes to existing development methods.
  • Testing and Validation: Ensuring that a system meets the standards of the standard might be difficult because it may necessitate considerable testing and validation.
  • Risk Evaluation: Identifying and assessing possible hazards and risks, particularly in complex systems, can be difficult.
  • Traceability: Traceability of requirements and design decisions can be challenging to maintain throughout the development process, especially in big and complicated projects.
  • Tool Assistance: Certain components of the standard may lack tool support, making it difficult to fully automate the compliance process.
  • Expertise: It can be difficult to obtain the necessary abilities and assets to completely apply the standard, as it necessitates a specialised understanding of functional safety and automotive systems.

Choose Punyam Academy for ISO 26262 Training

Punyam Academy is a certified training provider that provides a variety of E-learning Training Courses, Documentation and PowerPoint Presentations, E-books, and KPO services for third-party and client audits. Punyam Academy offers ISO 26262 awareness training to make people aware of the ISO 26262 series. Our ISO 26262-2:2018 Road Vehicles Functional Safety Awareness Training includes online lectures with visuals or audio presentations, handouts, and online examinations.              

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