LHP Engineering Solutions and Sonatus Achieve Breakthrough in Automotive Safety with ASIL D-Certified Automator Safety Interlock
Columbus, IN – February 18, 2025 – LHP Engineering Solutions, a leader in functional safety and embedded software solutions, has partnered with Sonatus to develop an innovative software component for their Automator product. The result of this collaboration, the Automator Safety Interlock (ASI), serves as a safety-defined "gatekeeper" solution to prevent non-compliant or unsafe actions from impacting critical vehicle functions. Achieving ASIL D certification from UL Solutions, the ASI software stands as one of the most advanced in the industry, reinforcing LHP's commitment to safety, innovation, and quality.
Advancing Functional Safety Expertise
From the outset, LHP and Sonatus set three primary goals:
To achieve these objectives, LHP launched a two-day Power-Up Training program and workshop, equipping Sonatus SMEs with an in-depth understanding of ISO 26262 and functional safety principles. This initiative facilitated the development of a comprehensive safety plan, aligning all stakeholders, including UL Solutions, to streamline the certification process. This early collaboration ensured a thorough evaluation of Sonatus’ automotive use cases and the essential vehicle functions integral to the ASI scope.
Additionally, LHP and Sonatus conducted rigorous Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) workshops. These sessions identified potential safety gaps, evaluated worst-case scenarios, and mapped out vehicle-level failure modes. This foundational work led to the creation of the Assumptions Document, establishing the necessary safety requirements for the SEooC certification process.
To read more about LHP's Safety Supervisory strategy leveraged in this project, please visit LHP's Safety Supervisor Software Technical Article.
Accelerated Development & Milestone Achievement
One of the most remarkable aspects of this project was its completion in just seven months, which was far ahead of the initial one-year estimate. Launched in January at CES by Sonatus, LHP made this achievement possible through:
By leveraging LHP’s ASIL D-certified development framework and their cross-functional domain knowledge, the teams successfully navigated complex challenges, optimized the software architecture, and ensured compliance, all without compromising quality or safety.
John Heinlein, CMO of Sonatus, invited LHP to join The Garage Podcast live during CES 2025 to discuss the achievement. We invite you to watch the podcast to learn more.
LHP’s Certified Functional Safety Framework
Ensuring functional safety at scale is a significant challenge in the automotive industry, especially when preventing unintended behavior across complex, software-defined architectures. LHP’s Functional Safety Framework is a comprehensive, safety-compliant development process designed to mitigate risk and enforce safety rigor throughout the V-cycle, from concept to validation.
When Sonatus approached LHP, they leveraged this proven framework to navigate the complexities of safety-critical software, which ultimately led to the success of their ASI software certification. The framework is built to reinforce turnkey system and software solutions, providing a structured, ASIL D-ready development approach with detailed guidelines and templates for plans, requirements, design, analysis, and test documentation. Furthermore, Independent internal assessment checkpoints ensure thorough examination of each safety document at every stage, maintaining compliance and quality.
To support ISO 26262-compliant toolchains, the framework integrates certified tools or uses LHP’s internal qualification procedures to validate non-compliant compilers like GCC. It also includes advanced testing capabilities, covering MC/DC, static analysis, and coding standard compliance while maintaining bi-directional traceability.
By combining waterfall discipline with agile flexibility, LHP’s framework remains both efficient and adaptable. Leveraging decades of experience and best practices across safety and non-safety domains, LHP empowers OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to develop compliant, high-quality, and scalable solutions while continuously enhancing its ability to deliver turnkey, safety-critical systems for the next generation of software-defined vehicles.
Industry Impact & Future Prospects
“The ASI is a true game changer for OEMs and Tier 1s looking to develop applications that need to partition safety-critical from non-safety software. It is designed to be expandable for additional use cases and any new safety features beyond those already included,” said Ronaldo Castillo, Engineering Manager, LHP.
By setting a new industry benchmark for functional safety certification in software-defined vehicles, LHP Engineering Solutions and Sonatus have demonstrated how expertise, process discipline, and strategic collaboration can accelerate innovation in the automotive sector.
About LHP Engineering Solutions
LHP Engineering Solutions is a global leader in functional safety, embedded software development, testing, training, and engineering solutions for the automotive industry. With a focus on innovation, LHP helps companies develop safe and reliable products that meet stringent industry standards.