JTEKT established a development process to adapt the Functional Safety standard of ISO26262

Nagoya, Japan, October 26, 2011 – JTEKT CORPORATION (JTEKT; Nagoya, Japan; President: Shoji Ikawa) announced that it has established a development process of an electric control system by utilizing the requirement management and the development management tool of IBM Japan, LTD. (IBM; Tokyo, Japan; General Manager: Takayuki Hashimoto). This development process is basically adapted to requirements of the Functional Safety standard of ISO26262. JTEKT has already used this development process and its technology in Europe, and it has been accepted by European automobile manufacturers as secured the Functional Safety standard.

[About ISO26262]
ISO26262 is a Functional Safety standard, titled “Road vehicles –Functional safety”, which is under development and to be issued by the end of 2011 at the present moment. In this standard, it defines a proper process during an automotive development lifecycle, and requires incorporating a system to reduce risks of troubles. It is a trend in Europe to adapt this standard when purchasing automotive components, and the Japanese automotive industry is going to adapt this standard gradually. Until now, the electric control system development used qualitative standards for its developing process and safety standard. The Functional Safety standard defines quantitative scales and objects for safety, and it requires following the standard. This standard asks the automotive industry to rethink its development process.

To establish a development process to adapt ISO26262, JTEKT had started to make an outline to follow the Functional Safety standard. Since 2010, it has secured the traceability for all development procedures from requirements specification to validation with using the IBM Rational DOORS, which is a tool for requirement management, and with using the Rational Team Concert, which is a tool for development management. Since August 2011, it has started a trial of the new system by utilizing the IBM Rational DOORS and the Rational Team Concert. The actual operation of the new system is to be started from next April. In the new system, each requirement for the Functional Safety is defined as each working items. Post working items and actual outputs such as engineering and testing are automatically traced in relation to each prior works. The IBM Rational DOORS and the Rational Team Concert manage these activities, and this management enables all R&D team members to share all activities. Details and progresses of activities and those results are evaluated adequately, and then the entire R&D process realizes to secure traceability and the Functional Safety.

Nowadays, the demand and expectation for the Functional Safety has been grown along with the development of the highly sophisticated electric controlling in the motor vehicles. The Steering system and Driveline components, the main business of JTEKT, are required to accelerate highly sophisticated electric controlling technology. Moreover, the importance of the Functional Safety in an electric concerted component is increasing such as an electric controlling steering, a hub unit of wheel component and a driveline. To correspond this trend, JTEKT organized “Electric Systems Development Center“ in the “Research and Development Headquarters“, and it promotes self-manufacturing of electric components, modularization of Electric Power Steering development such as combined and downsized the motor and the Electric Control Unit (ECU). This adaptation to ISO26262 improves not only reliability of the Functional Safety in the development process but also creating the Safety Culture of company. Moreover, speeding up of engineering and development will bring a room to put resources into an R&D activity for a new business field, and JTEKT believes this correspondence will contribute to our further growth in future.