Speaker Interviews

What's the background to your presentation?

A major car manufacturer faced the challenge of testing its new L2+ ADAS features in real-world conditions. They designed 16 tests in simulation, involving three to five target vehicles choreographed around their L2+ host vehicle at varying speeds. The goal was to replicate these tests multiple times, mixing the fleet of vehicles in different lanes, to validate simulation results in the physical world. However, operating multiple real vehicles safely and consistently for each test posed daunting complexity and concerns about variability between simulation and real-world performance.

In ASI Robots’ opinion, how important is real-world testing for ADAS and AD development?

The use of simulation alone for testing ADAS systems is proving insufficient, as observed by studies such as those conducted by NHTSA. The industry is recognizing the need for real-world validation to ensure the reliability and safety of ADAS features. The case of this major car manufacturer highlights the importance of swarming technology and robotic test drivers in overcoming the challenges of testing ADAS features in real-world scenarios. It addresses the topical need for more accurate and precise testing methodologies to validate simulation results and enhance confidence in the performance of ADAS systems.

What are some of the primary challenges of physical ADAS testing?

The complexity lies in operating multiple real vehicles safely and consistently, replicating simulation scenarios, and ensuring precise execution of ADAS features. Variances between simulation and real-world performance add further challenges in identifying areas for improvement and algorithm integration. The time and resources required for such testing can become significant bottlenecks, impeding the development and deployment of ADAS technologies.

How can these be overcome?

ASI's swarming technology with driving robots provides a groundbreaking solution to address these challenges. The robot drivers are capable of executing the exact simulation scenarios repeatedly and flawlessly, eliminating biases and variability. This allows engineers to focus on optimizing ADAS algorithms and integrating them seamlessly. By streamlining the testing process and enabling precise execution, the swarming technology significantly accelerates the validation of ADAS features, reducing the time required for comprehensive testing.

How are robots and swarming technology being harnessed in ADAS/AV test applications?

The collaboration between ASI and the major car manufacturer resulted in completing the 16 tests within five days, surpassing the original estimated timeline of eight days. The seamless integration of simulation scenarios into the physical vehicles enabled more efficient and reliable testing. The use of driving robots ensured consistent execution of each test, advancing from one scenario to another swiftly. This real-world example showcases the immense potential of swarming technology in enhancing ADAS testing and accelerating the deployment of safer and more advanced autonomous systems. This robotic system is already giving value in durability, misuse, impact, ADA/AV systems and other use cases.

What's the background to your presentation?

Due to the complexity of modern EVs, a lot of different tests are necessary. Simulation alone cannot deliver all the answers, and even test benches only reflect reality to a limited extent. In the end, it depends on real-life data from labor-intensive field testing. Instrumentation of vehicles for field testing is time consuming. To achieve promising results, there is a lot of pressure on testing technicians and engineers. In my presentation, I will not only sketch requirements and solutions in today's measurement technology but also show an existing system that is already in the field and in service at many customers: the Vector CSM E-Mobility Measurement System.

Where do traditional power analyzers fall short in EV powertrain analysis?

If we take a look at power analysis in particular, most of the common power analyzers are made for laboratory service, not for field testing. In addition, they are only specialized in analyzing power – not less, but also not more. However, testing departments are forced to conduct multiple different tests at the same time and must also be able to directly correlate measurement data from different tests in real time – ECU data, NVH data, thermal data from the HV battery, just to mention a few. Classic power analyzers usually do not support this.

What form does a contemporary measurement system take?

To meet these new challenges, a modern e-mobility measurement system is required, that parallelizes several different tests and thus saves time. It also must be modular and scalable to be flexibly assembled – with only as much equipment as needed and still supporting large measurement setups with many fast channels at the same time. All in all, a system must converge measurement data from various sources and tests in one data processing and storage entity.

What's the background to your presentation?

My presentation discusses the digital experience brought to vehicles by HMI systems. Keysight has been working with its customers and partners to build unique solutions end to end, starting from the driver experience, connecting with the user interface and V2X technology.

The automotive industry has become increasingly complex, with a steady increase of electronics making up 18% of the total cost of a new car in 2000, yet taking a total of 40% in 2020. Due to this, testing the electronic components and their interfaces with the user has become critical for the success of a launch of a new vehicle.

How can the digital experience be tested holistically?

Many of the testing solutions available focus on individual parts of the vehicle ecosystem. Due to this, it's challenging to gain a holistic view of the driving experience and automate end to end across the ecosystem. Keysight’s testing solution stack enables testing across the physical, protocol, application and UI layers, and it automates all of these stages through Keysight’s Eggplant Test software. This helps customers deliver an amazing digital experience, increase time-to-market and decrease platform costs and complexity.

What's the background to your presentation?

The presentation will be about making load measurements for vehicle development using three-axis load cells. Specific applications that will be looked at include measuring three directional forces into vehicle seating systems, engine mounts and trailer hitches.

Three-axis load cells provide critical force measurements that can be used in vehicle development and validation. The rise of electric vehicles has brought new considerations and challenges, particularly in terms of weight distribution. Load cells can be used to measure and monitor the weight distribution of components and subsystems. This data helps engineers fine-tune systems to maintain ride comfort, handling and stability considering the specific weight distribution of EVs.

What are the difficulties of testing with three-axis load cells?

Integrating load cells into different testing setups and equipment can be a challenge. Ensuring seamless integration, reliable data and compatibility with existing testing infrastructure can pose challenges during the setup and configuration stages.
Another challenge faced when measuring forces within vehicles is that instrumenting individual components can be costly and is not always an option.

Why should developers consider load cells as an option?

In certain applications, utilizing load cells can offer a cheaper solution than instrumenting individual components. Load cells are an off-the-shelf solution for applications where instrumenting an individual component is not possible. Michigan Scientific offers a variety of load cell shapes, sizes and load ratings. The company provides customer support, including technical assistance and integration guidance. It can also design and manufacture custom adapters and mounting hardware for the needs of automotive applications.

What's the background to your presentation?

Seven Bel is a manufacturer of acoustic cameras and provides tools and instruments to engineers to efficiently localize acoustic leaks in car cabins and other structures. When preparing prototype vehicles for verification tests or performing end-of-line quality checks for fully assembled cars, engineers need to make sure that the tightness of door and window sealings is as expected. Localization and repair of abnormal leaks in the car cabin guarantee consistent product quality and avoid unexpected results during test drives.

What’s the biggest bottleneck in the localization of leakages in automotive structures?

Currently, there is no scalable solution for end-of-line quality control testing of leaks in car cabins. A single ultrasound microphone may be attached to critical positions of the structure to detect anomalies. This surface-bound, manual method does not qualify for high-throughput assembly and test processes.

How can this issue be overcome?

Seven Bel uses an ultrasound source inside the car and localizes sound sources on the car body from a distance of 3m. Engineers can thus capture the entire body structure instantly and point to the sources that matter, without having to perform a lengthy search for dominant sources.