A rectangle bin packing optimization approach to the signal scheduling problem in the FlexRay static segment<FootNote> Project supported by the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in the University of Ministry of Education of China (No. IRT1017) </FootNote>

Abstract

As FlexRay communication protocol is extensively used in distributed real-time applications on vehicles, signal scheduling in FlexRay network becomes a critical issue to ensure the safe and efficient operation of time-critical applications. In this study, we propose a rectangle bin packing optimization approach to schedule communication signals with timing constraints into the FlexRay static segment at minimum bandwidth cost. The proposed approach, which is based on integer linear programming (ILP), supports both the slot assignment mechanisms provided by the latest version of the FlexRay specification, namely, the single sender slot multiplexing, and multiple sender slot multiplexing mechanisms. Extensive experiments on a synthetic and an automotive X-by-wire system case study demonstrate that the proposed approach has a well optimized performance.

Keywords

FlexRay / Real-time applications / Rectangle bin packing / Schedule optimization / Slot multiplexing

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