English Product Name

Overview

The b-plus BRICKplus is a ruggedized, modular, high-bandwidth data acquisition and measurement platform engineered specifically for autonomous driving development, ADAS validation, and vehicle-level sensor fusion testing. Built upon the open BRICK architecture, it integrates time-synchronized multi-sensor data capture—including camera streams, LiDAR point clouds, radar echoes, CAN/CAN FD, FlexRay, Ethernet AVB/TSN, and GNSS/IMU telemetry—within a single deterministic timing domain. Its core synchronization engine implements hardware-accelerated IEEE 802.1AS-2020 generalized Precision Time Protocol (gPTP), enabling sub-microsecond timestamp alignment across all I/O interfaces without software jitter. Unlike general-purpose industrial PCs, the BRICKplus embeds real-time PCIe-based measurement modules (BRICK BMC and SPC) directly into its chassis, eliminating external cabling latency and ensuring traceable, auditable data provenance required for ISO 26262 ASIL-B compliant validation workflows.

Key Features

• Hardware-level IEEE 802.1AS-2020 gPTP time synchronization across all Ethernet ports (2× 10GBase-T + 5× 1000Base-T), guaranteeing deterministic inter-device timestamp correlation.
• Modular PCIe expansion architecture: two full-height BRICK SPC slots (PCIe 3.0 x8 mechanical) support up to 5A @12V per slot for high-throughput measurement cards; one BRICK BMC slot for time-critical sensor interface modules.
• Integrated multi-constellation GNSS receiver with PPS output and NMEA 0183/RTCM v3 support—enabling georeferenced trajectory reconstruction and map alignment.
• Dual 10GBase-T interfaces with SFP+ compatibility via optional adapters, supporting raw camera or LiDAR streaming at line rate (e.g., 10 Gbps for 8MP@60fps monocular feeds).
• Industrial-grade power management: wide-input 10–28 VDC operation with brown-out resilience, crank-mode support down to 6 V, and dynamic thermal throttling validated from −25 °C to +70 °C ambient.
• Embedded security features including TPM 2.0 (optional), UEFI Secure Boot, and hardware-based root-of-trust—aligned with ISO/SAE 21434 cybersecurity engineering requirements.

Sample Compatibility & Compliance

The BRICKplus natively supports industry-standard automotive data protocols including AUTOSAR-compliant CAN FD (up to 5 Mbps), FlexRay (10 Mbps), and Ethernet-based protocols such as SOME/IP, DoIP, and AVB/TSN. Its time-stamped packet capture meets the traceability requirements of ISO 26262 Part 6 Annex D for tool qualification and ISO/PAS 21448 (SOTIF) scenario logging. All firmware and driver stacks are developed under a documented configuration management process compliant with IEC 61508 SIL2 development lifecycle principles. Electromagnetic compatibility has been verified per CISPR 25 Class 5 and ISO 11452-2/4/8 for in-vehicle deployment. CE marking includes conformity with the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU.

Software & Data Management

The platform ships with pre-installed AVETO®-ready x64 runtime environment—a deterministic Linux-based framework optimized for sensor orchestration, real-time preprocessing, and synchronized recording. Data is written to internal M.2 NVMe storage or externally attached BRICK STORAGE units (CFast, eSATA, or PCIe-based) using a journaling filesystem with atomic write semantics. Metadata embedding follows ASAM OpenLABEL schema conventions for automated ground truth annotation. Optional software packages include AVETO® LogAnalyzer for post-processing, time-aligned playback, and compliance report generation (aligned with ISO 26262-8 clause 9.4.3). All system logs, firmware updates, and configuration changes are recorded with immutable timestamps and digital signatures, satisfying FDA 21 CFR Part 11 audit trail requirements where applicable.

Applications

• End-to-end ADAS/AD validation: synchronized capture of perception sensor data (cameras, radar, ultrasonic), vehicle bus signals (CAN FD, FlexRay), and precise GNSS/INS trajectories for scenario replay and edge-case analysis.
• Vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) testbed integration: low-latency interfacing with hardware simulators via 10G Ethernet and deterministic time-triggered I/O (GPI/GPO).
• Functional safety evidence collection: time-correlated failure injection logging, fault tree analysis inputs, and diagnostic event tracing aligned to ASAM MCD-2 MC (ASAM ASAP2) definitions.
• Edge AI training pipeline acceleration: on-device preprocessing (e.g., ROI extraction, frame decimation, sensor calibration correction) prior to offloading to cloud infrastructure.
• Regulatory compliance testing: generation of auditable datasets for UN-R155 CSMS documentation, NCAP AEB/FCW test reports, and type-approval submissions per EU Regulation (EU) 2019/2144.

FAQ

Does the BRICKplus support deterministic real-time operating systems (RTOS)?
Yes—while shipped with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, the platform’s Intel Core i7-6820HE processor and PCIe topology fully support VxWorks 7, QNX Neutrino 7.1, and ENEA OSEK OS under OEM agreement.
Can multiple BRICKplus units be synchronized across a distributed test vehicle?
Yes—using IEEE 802.1AS-2020 gPTP over managed switches or direct fiber links, up to 32 nodes can maintain sub-500 ns clock offset in typical automotive network topologies.
Is the GNSS module certified for RTK-grade positioning?
The integrated module supports SBAS (WAAS/EGNOS) and outputs RTCM v3 messages; for centimeter-level accuracy, an external RTK base station or NTRIP caster connection is required.
What is the maximum sustained write throughput to external BRICK STORAGE?
With dual eSATA 6 Gbps ports (each requiring self-powered drives) and PCIe 3.0 x4 expansion, aggregate sustained write bandwidth exceeds 2.4 GB/s when configured with RAID-0 NVMe arrays.
Are drivers and SDKs available for custom application development?
b-plus provides a comprehensive C/C++ SDK with HAL abstraction layers, PCIe register maps, gPTP API bindings, and Python wrappers for AVETO®-compatible scripting—all delivered under a commercial license with source code access.