FlexRay
FlexRay is a deterministic, fault-tolerant, and high-speed communication protocol designed for automotive and industrial control systems. It provides a time-triggered network architecture with dual-channel redundancy to ensure reliable data transmission in safety-critical applications like advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and drive-by-wire technologies. The protocol supports both synchronous and asynchronous communication modes, enabling real-time control and event-driven messaging.
Developers should learn FlexRay when working on automotive embedded systems, particularly for applications requiring high reliability, deterministic timing, and fault tolerance, such as brake-by-wire, steering-by-wire, or autonomous vehicle control. It is essential in modern vehicles where multiple electronic control units (ECUs) need to communicate with minimal latency and high data integrity, often replacing or complementing older protocols like CAN (Controller Area Network) in safety-critical domains.