Eclipse OpenSOVD

Monday, May 26, 2025 - 03:16 by Thilo Schmitt
Basics
This proposal is in the Project Proposal Phase (as defined in the Eclipse Development Process) and is written to declare its intent and scope. We solicit additional participation and input from the community. Please login and add your feedback in the comments section.
Parent Project
Eclipse Automotive
Proposal State
Community Review
Background

Modern vehicles are increasingly complex, with diagnostics and maintenance requiring standardized, interoperable communication protocols. The Service-Oriented Vehicle Diagnostics (SOVD) standard, defined in ISO 17978, addresses this need by specifying a service-based architecture for secure and scalable access to diagnostic data and functions. However, the automotive ecosystem lacks open-source implementations that developers, researchers, and OEMs can use to experiment, validate, or integrate SOVD into software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

Eclipse OpenSOVD fills this gap by delivering a freely available, collaboration-driven implementation of ISO 17978, fostering innovation, reducing vendor lock-in, and accelerating industry-wide adoption of standardized diagnostics.

Scope

Eclipse OpenSOVD provides an open source implementation of the Service-Oriented Vehicle Diagnostics (SOVD) standard, as defined in ISO 17978.

In-scope:

  1. Core SOVD Implementation
    • Modular, extensible software stack aligned with ISO 17978, including:
    • Server/client implementations for testing, validation, and integration.
    • Legacy compatibility via adapters (e.g., SOVD-to-UDS protocol translation).
  2. Security & Compliance
    • Authentication/authorization via OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and certificate-based mechanisms.
    • Alignment with ISO 21434 cybersecurity standards for secure data handling.
  3. Documentation & Testing
    • Comprehensive guides for developers, OEMs, and repair shops.
    • Test suites covering ISO 17978 compliance, edge cases, and interoperability.
    • Example use cases (e.g., OTA updates, predictive maintenance workflows).
  4. Ecosystem Integration
    • Native compatibility with Eclipse S-CORE for diagnostics orchestration in SDV runtime environments.
    • Collaboration with COVESA and Eclipse SDV Working Group to align with vehicle data models and semantic APIs.

Out-of-Scope:

  • Proprietary extensions or vendor-specific adaptations.
  • Hardware-specific diagnostic tools/interfaces.
  • Implementation of non-standardized AI/ML features (though extensible for future integration).

 

Description

Eclipse OpenSOVD provides an open source implementation of the Service-Oriented Vehicle Diagnostics (SOVD) standard, as defined in ISO 17978. The project delivers a modular, standards-compliant software stack that enables secure and efficient access to vehicle diagnostics over service-oriented architectures. By offering an open and community-driven implementation, Eclipse OpenSOVD serves as a foundation for developers, OEMs, and tool vendors to build, test, and integrate SOVD-based solutions. The project will hence facilitate adoption and ensure industry coherence with the standard.

Eclipse OpenSOVD complements and integrates the Eclipse S-CORE project by providing an open implementation of the SOVD protocol that can be used for diagnostics and service orchestration within the S-CORE environment. This integration ensures that diagnostic capabilities are natively supported in SDV architectures, enabling developers and OEMs to build more robust, maintainable, and standards-compliant vehicle software stacks.

Key components include:

  • SOVD Gateway: REST/HTTP API endpoints for diagnostics, logging, and software updates.
  • Protocol Adapters: Bridging modern HPCs (e.g., AUTOSAR Adaptive) and legacy ECUs (e.g., UDS-based systems).
  • Diagnostic Manager: Service orchestration for fault reset, parameter adjustments, and bulk data transfers.

Future-Proofing:

  • Semantic Interoperability: JSON schema extensions for machine-readable diagnostics, enabling AI-driven analysis and cross-domain workflows.
  • Edge AI/ML Readiness: Modular design to support lightweight ML models (e.g., predictive fault detection) via collaboration with projects like Eclipse Edge Native.
  • Support for Extended Vehicle logging and publish/subscribe mechanisms.
Licenses
Apache License, Version 2.0
Why Here?

The Eclipse Foundation provides a vendor-neutral, governance-driven ecosystem critical for automotive open-source projects. Hosting Eclipse OpenSOVD here ensures:

  • Interoperability: Seamless integration with Eclipse SDV projects (e.g., S-CORE, Kuksa).
  • Community Engagement: Collaboration with OEMs, Tier-1s, and startups through the Eclipse SDV Working Group.
  • Regulatory Alignment: Leveraging Eclipse’s expertise in certifications (e.g., ISO 26262) and cybersecurity compliance.

Ecosystem Impact:

  • Accelerated Adoption: Pilot implementations with EV disruptors (e.g., Rivian, NIO) to demonstrate ROI.
  • Avoiding fragmentation, focus on collaboration: Convene the industry and concentrate forces in one place, instead of getting lost in many projects.
Future Work

Possible future avenues for Eclipse OpenSOVD include:

  • Semantic Interoperability: Embed machine-readable semantics into SOVD APIs (e.g., JSON schema extensions) to enable AI-driven diagnostics and cross-domain workflows.
  • Edge AI/ML Integration: Modular extensions for lightweight ML models (e.g., predictive fault detection) via partnerships with projects like Eclipse Edge Native.
  • Support for Extended Vehicle logging APIs and publish/subscribe mechanisms.
  • Enhanced Security: Integration with ISO 21434 cybersecurity workflows and certificate lifecycle management.

Community Growth Activities could include:

  • Pilot Programs: Partner with OEMs and EV disruptors (e.g., Rivian, NIO) to showcase ROI and drive adoption.
  • Workshops & Hackathons: Collaborate with Eclipse SDV Working Group and COVESA to host developer-focused events.
  • Documentation Drives: Crowdsource use-case examples and troubleshooting guides.
  • Academic Partnerships: Engage universities for research on SOVD-AI integration and validation frameworks.

 

Project Scheduling

Phase 1 (Months 0–12):

  • Initial Contribution: Existing codebase (see below) integrated into Eclipse infrastructure.
  • Q1–Q2: Core SOVD API implementation (diagnostic data access, session management).
  • Q3: Server/client prototypes, test suites, and basic documentation.
  • Q4: Security hardening (OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect), legacy adapter modules (SOVD2UDS).

Phase 2 (Months 13–18):

  • COVESA alignment (semantic APIs) and Extended Vehicle logging support.
  • Community-driven pilot deployments with EV OEMs.

Phase 3 (Months 19–24):

  • Edge AI/ML extensions and ISO/DIS 17978-1.2 compliance.
People
Project Leads
Thilo Schmitt
Florian Roks
Ulrich Renner
Committers
Thilo Schmitt
Florian Roks
Elena Gantner
Alexander Mohr
Mark Schmitt
Tim Kliefoth
Branimir Djordjevic
Ramachandran Chakravadhanula
Ulrich Renner
Interested Parties
  • Eclipse S-CORE as integration project
  • Eclipse Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) working group
  • various automotive OEMs, Tiers, software development and service providers
Source Code
Initial Contribution
  • Core Components:
    • SOVD Gateway (REST/HTTP API endpoints for diagnostics).
    • Diagnostic Manager (session orchestration, fault reset logic).
    • Basic SOVD2UDS adapter (protocol translation for legacy ECUs).
  • Ownership:
    • Code copyright held by contributing organizations (e.g., founding OEMs, tier-1 suppliers) under Apache 2.0.
    • Governance via Eclipse Foundation’s contribution agreements.
  • Existing Community:
    • Early contributors include automotive software developers from Eclipse SDV Working Group members.
    • Codebase has been validated in lab environments for ISO 17978 compliance.
Source Repository Type
GitHub