Design of an FPGA-Based System-on-Module for Safety-Critical Applications

Abstract

Ensuring reliability and safety in safety-critical applications requires measures to mitigate both systematic and random failures. Controlling random failures depends on systematic efforts in developing fault-tolerant or self-testing capable system architectures. Modern safety-related systems are tailored to comply with functional safety standards including IEC 61508 for generic applications, along with industry-specific variants such as EN 5012X series for railway and ISO 26262 for the automotive sector. In this paper, we introduce a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based System-on-Module (SoM) hardware architecture with built-in self-testing (BIST) and fault-tolerance capabilities to handle random mission phase failures in safety-critical missions. The proposed SoM can differentiate between different system faults and take tailored corrective actions. The SoM is designed with the aim of rapid re-use in various projects and missions aimed at railway, automotive, and related fields that have functional safety requirements. We provide explanations of hardware architecture and underlying rationale, with a particular focus on safety-related functions and subsystems. We also provide a Failure Modes, Effects, and Diagnostics Analysis (FMEDA) study of the proposed system. Our study offers insights into the integration of functional safety requirements into complex electronic systems, highlighting the advantages posed by the modularization of safety-related systems including but not limited to lower development costs, better supply chain resiliency, and better time to market. Finally, it fills the gap for a BIST-capable FPGA hardware platform for conducting safety-related software research and development. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.