Modern Middlewares for Automated Vehicles: A Tutorial

This article offers a tutorial on current middlewares in automated vehicles (AVs). Our aim is to provide the reader with an overview of current middlewares and to identify open challenges in this field. We start by explaining the fundamentals of software architectures in distributed systems and the distinguishing requirements of AVs. We then distinguish betweencommunication middlewaresandarchitecture platformsand highlight their key principles and differences. Next, we present five state-of-the-art middlewares as well as their capabilities and functions. We explore how these middlewares could be applied in the design of future vehicle software and their role in the automotive domain. Finally, we compare the five middlewares presented and discuss open research challenges.