EVCore Firmware Safety Requirements

EVCore firmware safety requirements are roadmap item 7. Each requirement traces to hazards in the Hazard Analysis and is proven by tests tagged with its ID (for example /* SR-02 */) in tests/*.c. The node scripts/trace-requirements.mjs script prints the requirement-to-test matrix. It fails if a requirement has no test, or if a test cites an ID not listed here. scripts/verify.ps1 runs it. These requirements cover the firmware’s own behavior on the host. They do not replace the independent hardware controls listed in the hazard analysis.

Safety manager (`evcore_safety.c`)

ID	Requirement	Hazards
SR-01	Initialization commands every output OFF before any other action, including when initialization is rejected.	H-01
SR-02	Any unhealthy safety input (STOP, latch, external voltage, overcurrent, overvoltage, watchdog, measurement, routing, configuration, profile, self-test) moves any state to FAULT and commands OFF in the same service call. Simultaneous faults accumulate.	H-01, H-04, H-08
SR-03	Faults latch: clearing the cause does not leave FAULT, and outputs stay OFF.	H-14
SR-04	Fault reset succeeds only when every input is healthy and fresh. It returns to DISARMED with outputs OFF and never arms or restarts anything.	H-14
SR-05	Arming requires healthy, fresh inputs, and arming alone never energizes an output.	H-01
SR-06	Outputs are granted only from ARMED. Changing an active output mask is refused, and disabling outputs revokes arming.	H-05
SR-07	A request containing unknown output bits is a configuration fault and commands OFF.	H-05
SR-08	Inputs older than the configured age, or dated in the future, cause a STALE fault and OFF. Age arithmetic stays correct across timer rollover.	H-10
SR-09	A missing input snapshot or an invalid configuration (zero or excessive input age) is a fault and cannot authorize output.	H-01
SR-10	Corrupted internal state (unknown state value, outputs energized while not OFF-permitted, invalid sequence data) latches an INTERNAL fault and commands OFF.	H-01
SR-11	If the output driver callback is lost, the manager latches an INTERNAL fault and does not report that an OFF command was sent.	H-01
SR-12	Every shutdown is observable as an actual driver OFF call, which tests check directly rather than inferring it from reported state.	H-01, H-02

Test sequencing (`evcore_app.c`, `evcore_control.c`, `evcore_console.c`)

ID	Requirement	Hazards
SR-13	A safety fault during a test ends it as UNKNOWN (safety interruption) with outputs OFF. Releasing STOP or resetting the fault never resumes the interrupted test.	H-08, H-14
SR-14	Relay routes change only after OFF is confirmed. If OFF cannot be confirmed, the test reports a safety interruption and does not move to another route or energize.	H-02, H-03
SR-15	A test step uses at most one source with master permission. Passive back-EMF steps never request an output. Invalid profiles are rejected before anything is energized.	H-04, H-05, H-06
SR-16	An invalid, flagged, stale, wrong-channel, or non-finite measurement gives UNKNOWN, never PASS or FAIL.	H-10, H-12
SR-17	Local and remote (USB) commands use one control path. START is refused while a test runs; STOP is always accepted.	H-09, H-16
SR-18	Malformed, oversized, or damaged-transport commands are rejected without starting anything.	H-16
SR-19	A measurement timeout ends the test as UNKNOWN with outputs OFF.	H-10

Fault records (`evcore_fault.c`, `evcore_app.c`, `evcore_safety.c`)

ID	Requirement	Hazards
SR-20	Every test that ends without a conclusion carries at least one structured fault record naming its cause (code, category, severity, action, source, time, evidence). A clean run carries none.	H-12, H-13
SR-21	Instrument, safety, configuration, internal, and operator causes are recorded as faults, never as findings about the device under test. An unusable measurement is an instrument fault, not a safety trip. Once a test has ended, later events never change its report.	H-12
SR-23	Diagnostic codes describe the vehicle only for a FAIL result. A test without a conclusion is reported only with instrument (E) codes, so an instrument problem is never shown on the device or in reports as a vehicle code.	H-12, H-13
SR-22	The safety manager records each fault episode (time, accumulated faults, state it started from) and the evidence for each recovery (faults cleared, healthy input snapshot time).	H-01, H-14

Local screen (`evcore_ui.c`)

ID	Requirement	Hazards
SR-24	The local screen starts a test only from an explicit confirmation page, whose cursor starts on Cancel, and only through the shared control path. While a test runs, pressing or holding the knob requests STOP.	H-17, H-16
SR-25	The local screen follows the device: a latched fault replaces any page with the fault page, which only a reset accepted by the safety manager leaves; a test started over USB is shown as running. Every page shows the safety state and whether outputs are on.	H-17, H-08

Applicable standards

The proposed standards that shape these requirements are documented in Applicable Standards. The key choices are IEC 61010-1 for general electrical safety, IEC 61010-2-030 for measuring circuits, and IEC 61326-1 for EMC. Functional safety practices follow IEC 61508 discipline without pursuing full certification. See the decision record for market-dependent items and open questions.

Get Started

EVCore Studio

Firmware

Hardware & Safety

Engineering

EVCore Firmware Safety Requirements

Safety manager (`evcore_safety.c`)

Test sequencing (`evcore_app.c`, `evcore_control.c`, `evcore_console.c`)

Fault records (`evcore_fault.c`, `evcore_app.c`, `evcore_safety.c`)

Local screen (`evcore_ui.c`)

Applicable standards

​Safety manager (evcore_safety.c)

​Test sequencing (evcore_app.c, evcore_control.c, evcore_console.c)

​Fault records (evcore_fault.c, evcore_app.c, evcore_safety.c)

​Local screen (evcore_ui.c)

​Applicable standards

Safety manager (`evcore_safety.c`)

Test sequencing (`evcore_app.c`, `evcore_control.c`, `evcore_console.c`)

Fault records (`evcore_fault.c`, `evcore_app.c`, `evcore_safety.c`)

Local screen (`evcore_ui.c`)

Applicable standards