Publication Name: automotiveproductsfinder
Date: March, 2021
With the demand for connected cars growing, the industry is witnessing many changes in the vehicle communication systems. The automotive industry is making rapid strides to improve the overall safety aspects and user experience for the driver as well as the passengers of the vehicle. From connected infotainment to ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems), the vehicles are evolving to communicate directly with each other (V2V) and with the roadside infrastructure (V2I) while navigating their path. This vehicular communication is termed as V2X (V2V & V2I).
“Automotive test engineers face significant challenges most notably in the areas of interoperability and cyber security, due to increasing integration of V2X, ADAS and automated systems. V2X is significant since it is the only technology that can sense Non-Line of Sight Objects. Sensors like Camera, RADAR & LIDAR can sense only line of sight objects, and hence V2X shall become a mandatory feature even in autonomous vehicles moving forward,” opines Prasad Karambelkar, Head - Wireless Practice, Tata Elxsi - a design-led technology company headquartered in Bengaluru.
There are two V2X Communication Standards widely used, namely Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) & C-V2X (LTE-V). DSRC is based on 802.11p standard, which offers a communication range of 300 meters, and C-V2X is an LTE standard that offers a communication range of around 1 mile. “Automotive OEMs back either of these standards across the World. With 5G rollouts happening globally, we can expect 5G based C-V2X technology also being rolled out in the coming years,” said Karambelkar.
V2X market
These changes are leading to new testing requirements of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. Increasing safety regulations have led to the adoption of various types of communication technologies in a vehicle such as adaptive cruise control (ACC), driver assistance system, lane change assistance system, lane change assistance, blind spot detection, and many more. “This is expected to significantly drive the demand for V2X communication. In addition, the advancements in different sensor technologies and evolving functional safety requirements, along with various regulatory compliances will mean that testing requirements will only increase over the new few years,” explains Prasad Karambelkar.
The global V2X market size is projected to grow from $ 659 million in 2020 to $ 2.8 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 33.5 per cent, according to the global market research firm Markets and Markets. The increasing trend of vehicles with V2X technologies and increasing cyber- attacks in the automotive industry are expected to drive the market for V2X testing.
V2X Emulator: An effective aid for V2X testing
Validation of the connected vehicles/V2X systems is a highly challenging due to the critical nature of the safety applications and intersection of technologies involved in V2X systems. Prasad Karambelkar says, “They require extensive testing prior to its adoption into vehicles. The plethora of regional/country specific standards that need to be complied with, only adds to this complexity. V2X Testing is a cumbersome process usually done on a field with real cars and roadside deployments. It involves high costs and safety concerns.”
To solve these concerns, Tata Elxsi - an expert in new technologies and innovative design - offers a comprehensive test solution for V2X testing solution, V2X Emulator. “Tata Elxsi V2X Emulator is a solution designed to perform a real world like V2X testing in a lab. The solution, which comes pre-integrated with leading test equipment, offers greater choice and flexibility for customers. In addition, the solution is quite flexible to be integrated with the choice of test equipment chosen by the customer, this helps in extracting greater value from existing test infrastructure investments,” explains Karambelkar.
The V2X Emulator solution can generate real-world conditions that can source necessary GNSS & CAN signals for V2X application testing. V2X Emulator works on real hardware with real time signals involving actual RF signals and, therefore, guarantees the performance experienced in the lab is very closer to the performance in the field. “The solution is intuitive to use and has been designed keeping the test engineer in mind. In addition, the solution can also be integrated with HILS (hardware-in-the-loop simulation) setup, which is a de-facto test environment for automotive validation. Thus, Tata Elxsi not only offers the V2X emulator solution but also the critical engineering services to support its customers with their specific requirements,” he claims.
Some of the distinct features of V2X Emulator are:
- Simultaneous emulation of multiple cars and RSUs (road side units)
- Emulation of up to 50 cars with single OBU (on-board unit)
- One-to-many communication between DUT (device under test) and emulated cars and RSUs
- Emulated cars carry ready-made applications available for testing
- Integrated with GNSS Emulator and Real RF signal is provided to DUT
- Dynamic emulation of poor GNSS (global navigation satellite system) signal conditions (like tunnel, undergrounds) based on the selected route of travel
- The V2X Emulator provides better test coverage including the creation of custom test scenarios and the functionality can be scaled up according to test requirements Prasad Karambelkar adds, “The V2X Emulator is a significant product since it helps Tata Elxsi provide its customers the capability to perform exhaustive tests on their V2X modules and provide a smarter and safer vehicle in the market.”
V2X Emulator assisting road safety
V2X Emulator is capable of testing V2X applications, debugging and retesting instantly inside a laboratory. Customers can spend their time in application development and testing rather than concentrating on setting-up V2X infrastructure. V2X Emulator is agnostic of communication protocol; hence, it can accommodate LTE-V or 5G technologies along with the existing DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communications) protocol without the need of changing the equipment set-up.
He explains, “Millions of miles of tests can be performed in the labs with thousands of test scenarios. This allows for better test coverage including various sorts of test conditions like signal attenuation and losses that are hard to replicate in field tests. Thus, the V2X Emulator is a smarter way to test V2X communication and detect defects much earlier in the development cycle reducing the time and money spent in exhaustive field tests.”
The solution will benefit the customers in the following ways:
Cost: Significant reduction in Field-testing cost by saving test track, car deployment and logistical costs associated with the Field-testing Time: Faster Time-to-Market as it reduces Field testing efforts and reduced field-testing time.
Quality: Comprehensive test coverage with respect to signal strength, terrain and channel conditions. Can be tested for ECU performance, assuring the quality of the solution being tested With a kind of possibilities offered by V2X Emulator, Tata Elxsi is eyeing to target overseas customers. Prasad Karambelkar says, “We are looking at offering V2X Emulator as test solution to automotive OEMs, tier-1 suppliers, V2X application providers, regulatory agencies, R&D companies as well as universities involved in connected vehicle research. We are not just looking to license our solution but also offer value added services to our customers.”
Prasad Karambelkar
Head - Wireless Practice, Tata Elxsi