Development of a computational control unit forging the user interface and customer interaction for entertainment and instrument cluster applications

This thesis presents selected technical aspects of the development of a Computational Control Unit (CCU) designed as a unified platform for automotive infotainment and instrument cluster applications. The work addresses the ongoing transition from distributed, function‑specific Electronic Control Units (ECUs) toward centralized High‑Performance Computing (HPC) architectures, driven by the increasing complexity of user interfaces, connectivity requirements, and software‑defined vehicle features. The project follows a complete engineering workflow, starting from the analysis of state‑of‑the‑art automotive infotainment architectures and reference technologies, and progressing through hardware and software architectural design, implementation, and system integration. On the hardware side, the CCU consolidates multiple interfaces—including multi‑display video outputs, high‑speed multimedia links, wireless connectivity, and in‑vehicle communication buses—into a single unit capable of supporting both infotainment and cluster domains while preserving functional isolation and fault tolerance. Resource partitioning strategies are adopted to balance performance, determinism, and reliability across domains with different criticality levels. From a software perspective, the architecture combines Linux‑based high‑level domains with AUTOSAR‑based low‑level services, leveraging the strengths of each technology where they are most effective. Linux provides flexibility, advanced graphics, and a rich ecosystem for Human–Machine Interface (HMI) and infotainment applications, while AUTOSAR ensures deterministic behavior, standardized hardware abstraction, and robust handling of vehicle communication and diagnostics. Clear interfaces between these layers enable modular development, scalability across vehicle variants, and independent evolution of software components. A significant contribution of this work is the analysis of a CAN Handshake Protocol for user‑driven vehicle functions. Unlike traditional signal‑based CAN communication, the proposed handshake‑based, event‑driven approach enforces a strict separation between Function Control Units and Display Control Units, ensuring that vehicle functions remain the single source of truth while infotainment systems act solely as clients for visualization and user interaction. This model improves system consistency, reduces bus load, simplifies variant management, and enhances long‑term maintainability. The protocol is presented through a concrete case study involving climate control functionality, including timing analysis and startup state synchronization. The thesis demonstrates how a centralized CCU architecture, combined with a mixed Linux–AUTOSAR software stack and handshake‑based communication, can deliver a scalable, robust, and user‑centric digital cockpit. The work highlight tangible benefits in terms of architectural clarity, integration efficiency, and user experience, while preserving safety and determinism. Finally, the work outlines potential future developments, positioning the CCU as a key enabler for next‑generation automotive infotainment, instrument clusters, and software‑defined vehicle platforms.