OSEK: A Standard in the fields 2006-21-0021

Since years cars Electronic control units (ECU) use OSEK/VDX specifications. What is OSEK/VDX software? In 1990 car manufacturers begin to see a lot of difficulties implementing software into ECU. Problem of cost development, problems of quality, difficulty to merge different software in same ECU, difficulty to reuse application software …

In 1993 OSEK consortium has been founded by German car industry to solve these problems In 1994 French car industry comes and merges its VDX/software expertise to OSEK.

The title OSEK means: Offene Systeme und deren Schnittstellen für die Elektronik im Kraftfahrzeug” Open System and the corresponding interface for automotive electronics “

The OSEK/VDX Consortium had the volunteer to disseminate this technology. For that a good mean is to offer the work and results to ISO

The paper describes the story of OSEK/VDX, followed by the story of ISO17356.

This story can be useful to know, because often new subject into ISO are coming from industrial consortium. If you know the way of life into ISO you will save time and effort.

Now The OSEK/VDX specifications are under ISO control with the name ISO 17356 and several industrial implementations of ISO 17356 exist.