Can cosmic rays compromise Toyota's electronic systems?
March 19th, 2010 by Kurt Niland
In the quest to discover the cause of sudden, unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, some scientists are looking to the sun. Subatomic particles bursting forth from our sun and other stars occasionally make it through the earth’s atmosphere, propelled by cosmic blast waves to the earth’s surface, where they can sometimes wreak havoc on our terrestrial electronic systems.
All cars manufactured these days rely less on mechanical systems for most of their functions and more on sophisticated electronic microcontrollers, which form the vehicle’s brains and govern basic functions such as throttle or speed. These complex devices, however, can be scrambled by radioactive particles from outer space.
The idea may sound like sound like science fiction, but the ability of these particles to hit the earth’s surface and interfere with many types of electronic equipment is a dangerous reality, often referred to as “single event upsets” (SEU).
These electronic disruptions are not easily detected, and historically they have occurred at high altitudes in aircraft or spacecraft, which have evolved to include highly redundant protection systems.
The auto industry, however, is still susceptible to cosmic radiation, especially since the electronic controllers in cars and trucks have become increasingly smaller and require less voltage to operate.
Researchers from Toyota, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and independent consulting firms are examining the electronic systems in Toyotas that have been involved in sudden acceleration incidents. So far nobody has been able to determine exactly how the electronic controls may be compromised in Lexus, Camry, Avalon, Corolla, and other popular Toyota vehicles.
Most of the testing has been focused on software logic or programming errors. Electromagnetic interference is another possibility that researchers are investigating. Current tests aren’t being conducted for SEUs, but that may change as the theory gains wider recognition.
Toyota could very likely be using electronic components and/or software that is more prone to SEU interference than other auto makers. Scientists familiar with SEU say that it could explain the seemingly random nature of sudden acceleration incidents and the difficulty researchers have had so far in finding a glitch.