The PEGASUS concept car is the outcome of a project between the AUDI AG subsidiary AEV and TTTech Automotive. This cooperation resulted in the development of a new cross-functional concept for a FlexRay-based electronics architecture. PEGASUS (a German acronym meaning pilot project for developing a comprehensive automotive system and software architecture) successfully integrated safety-relevant applications in an intelligent way. An innovative platform for chassis electronics was developed and implemented in an Audi S4 Avant-based concept car.
The idea of the PEGASUS project was to demonstrate the benefits of the time-triggered FlexRay technology. Essential vehicle dynamics applications were deployed to illustrate the feasibility of the time- triggered platform. Its assets as compared to today's commonly used CAN topology were highlighted. One of the major challenges was to interconnect different bus systems in the car. Another requirement was to combine existing chassis electronics and software structures of the automotive OEM and the time-triggered FlexRay technology, which had been tried out in other applications.
The project proved the potential of the time-triggered FlexRay-based technology, as it was employed in the integration of vehicle dynamics controls. Besides, a definite migration path for the concrete deployment of FlexRay in future cars was defined. The use of FlexRay-based hardware and software allowed a better integration of existing functionalities and provided a basis for designing new functionalities.
