MOST Cooperation gets an overhaul

17th October 2007

ES Admin

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The MOST Cooperation, the organization through which the leading automotive multimedia network Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) is standardized, has overhauled the specifications and implemented an integrated compliance verification process to enhance the quality while reducing the cost at the same time. For cost reduction for example the supply chain for optical connectors has been shortened through a new design and the requirements for new ICs with more implemented functions for MOST nodes have been introduced. To further optimize robustness and user friendliness, the specifications have been refined to remove ambiguities and add clarity.

Since its first volume implementation, the MOST specifications have continuously been amended and extended in order to narrow the possibility for different interpretations by implementers. For example the management of a MOST network has been described in a very detailed way. The specification is further complemented through respective standard driver stacks (NetServices) that are available from several sources. They have been optimized for seamless portability to different system architectures as they have to run on different platforms with a wide range of characteristics and performance capabilities.

Another example is that MOST Cooperation has added descriptions of the dynamic behavior of functional entities such as various APIs. Also the necessary master functions to manage a MOST network like Network Master, Power Master etc have been described with Message Sequence Charts. Also these specifications have been implemented in software that is available as standard code. These important functions, that usually sit in a head unit and control the whole MOST network, no longer need to be developed again by each Tier 1 supplier.

Furthermore, MOST Cooperation has triggered the development of a broad environment of infrastructure for MOST. While MOST Cooperation itself has for example developed a tool for XML based API modeling and offers it to members on its website, also third parties have been encouraged to develop necessary products. New powerful tools are now available for network analysis and compliance verification that cover most aspects of development, production and quality assurance of MOST components.

Since the optical components account for about two thirds of the cost of a MOST interface, the MOST Cooperation invested the effort of restructuring the fiber optic transceiver (FOT) supply chain. So far the Fiber Optic Transceiver (FOT) is being delivered to the connector manufacturer who assembles FOT and connector into an optical header and then delivers it to the Tier 1. The margin multiplication and duplication of process steps that occur in this process is what makes the optics so expensive. With the new design, FOT and connector will both be directly delivered to the Tier 1. This new principle will be standardized as the optical physical layer is developed for MOST150. It is therefore expected that cost of the optics for MOST150 will be less than the current generation optics.