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most critical aspects car manufacturers vehicles need to sense the world as much managed. Barclays analysts estimate
face, validation: “Automakers need to as human drivers do today. that “a single autonomous car, with all
develop testing and validation methods Accurate positioning is critical, mean- of its sensors, cameras, and lidar, could
that account for the wide range of tech- ing that today’s accuracy, mostly relying generate as much as 100 GByte/s” [5].
nologies used in driverless cars. Their on radar, lidar, camera, GNSS and ultra- So testing systems nowadays need to
tests should include simulation, test track sound sensors, must be increased to a address a new issue: Big (Analogue) Data
and on-road testing.” Software and hard- matter of centimetres and that the posi- or how to deal with these amounts [6].
ware reliability is one of the most impor- tioning information must be exchanged
tant issue OEMs struggle with. quickly at all time between the autono- TESTING FOR AUTOMATED DRIVING
Why? The SAE defined 6 levels of auton- mous vehicles, in order to ensure safety
omy, FIGURE 1, [3]. Levels 0 and 1 are not just for the vehicles, but also for the The above can be summarised into five
ob viously routine today. For the level 2, the pedestrians in traffic. While enabling the key points for testing:
driver must be prepared to intervene passengers with more free time, autono- – Validation is the most critical aspect in
immediately in case the automated system mous driving must also make room in its quality assurance, covering various
is unable or not allowed to handle the situ- data transfer for passenger entertainment. tests, such as regression, performance,
ation on its own. But studies have revealed Every OEM works on connected plat- functional and security tests, in order
that when a person is disengaged from forms, in various co-operations. For to insure reliable product functionality.
driving it takes more than 10 s to fully faster developments an open-platform – Big Data must be analysed and man-
reengage and take action [4]. Critically, for would be needed, allowing easier main- aged in a smart way, in order to avoid
an emergency taking place at 100 km/h, tainance and higher standardisation. In so-called data garbage and reduce
10 s mean more than 270 m, during which the same manner, testing systems should analysis times.
the vehicle might collide with the traffic allow the same openess an connectivity. – Cloud solutions for data communica-
lane boundary or other road users! This not just allows extensive reusability tion must be enabled through the test-
of existing resources, but also enables ing systems.
testing platforms to integrate new tech- – Sensor accuracy is top criteria for
BIG DATA AND THE
CONNECTED WORLD nologies sooner and with lower costs. every autonomous vehicle.
All this intensive data exchange – Testing systems should be based on
Another key point in the autonomous between cars also means that enormous open, flexible platforms, allowing test-
driving world is the connectivity between amounts of data will be transmitted. Not ing of various sensor types and the inte-
cars. In order to function autonomously, only that, but also stored, analysed and gration of various simulation scenarios.

Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

No automation Driver assistance Partial automation Conditional High automation Full automation
automation
Hands on Hands off Eyes off Mind off Wheel optional
Automated system Driver and Automated system Automated system No driver attention No human
has no vehicle control automated system takes full-control, but takes full-control, is required, the intervention required
share control, for the driver must even in emergency automated system
example parking be prepared to situations, but the must safely
assistance, adaptive intervene driver must be perform all vehicle
cruise control immediately prepared to commands FIGURE 1 Levels of
intervene within automation for on-road
some time
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