Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) have enabled safety, comfort, and sustainability that would have been impossible ten years ago. The growing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs) has driven the sector to tackle complex testing requirements, from vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications to cybersecurity of connected cars. This article shares some key takeaways from VECS 2024 (Vehicle Electronics & Connected Services) and offers an in-depth look at how the latest testing and validation solutions empower automotive companies to advance their SDV innovations.
Key testing challenges with software-defined vehicles
Software-defined vehicle (SDV) is not a new concept, as the whole ecosystem has been driving new capabilities and user experiences into the car since the 2010s. Bringing SDVs to life requires a lot of infrastructure to come together – software development in the cloud, seamless software integration with the car, deployment of over-the-air (OTA) updates and connectivity, and more.
SDVs pose unique testing challenges due to their integration of many electronic control units (ECUs), semiconductors, wireless technologies, sensors, and automotive operating systems. The growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing ADAS (Advance Driver Assistance Systems) features, personalizing in-car experiences, and advancing toward higher levels of vehicle autonomy adds further complexity. The massive amount of code needed to manage SDV features increases vulnerabilities, and the data collected by SDV raises privacy concerns, necessitating robust cybersecurity testing strategies and data security regulations. The importance of these challenges was underscored by an entire track dedicated to “testing and validation” at VECS.
Demand for increasing autonomous vehicle testing coverage
Autonomous Vehicle (AV) has been a popular topic for more than a decade now, and today, there are finally AV taxis running on the streets. Unsurprisingly, AV safety was a focal point at VECS, with many sessions and tracks dedicated to the topic. Validating a wide range of sensor technologies under different environmental, road, and traffic conditions is critical. In one technical panel, “Autonomous Vehicle Testing & Validation,” Keysight experts shared methods to increase test coverage (more test cases and scenarios per unit of time for greater reliability), explored use of AI/ML for ADAS validation and strategies to maximize test coverage in the lab before reaching the proving ground stage.
Confidence in new ADAS functions is critical. Currently, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) use simulated environments with software-in-the-loop systems to test sensors and control modules. While software simulation is valuable, it cannot fully replicate real-world conditions. In particular, simulation often tests a limited number of targets and has difficulty distinguishing between objects. Thus, it is insufficient to validate actual sensors, electronic control unit (ECU) code, or AI logic.
The key to developing robust radar sensors and algorithms for ADAS capabilities is full scene emulation in the lab with actual components in a hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) setup.
Keysight’s Autonomous Drive Emulation (ADE) platform is an “environment emulator,” designed for in-lab testing using realistic roadway scenarios that range from everyday situations to one-in-a-million events.
The ADE platform addresses both line-of-sight and communication-based systems, including camera, radar, and C-V2X. Its open architecture seamlessly integrates with your existing HiL systems and 3D modelers. Through a “total scene generation” approach, it fills the gap between software simulation and on-road testing, offering OEMs a higher degree of confidence in signing off on ADAS functions.
Staying ahead of automotive cybersecurity
As SDVs become more reliant on software, robust cybersecurity measures will be crucial to prevent hacking attempts. SDV features such as OTA updates and ADAS have made security issues more critical and complicated to handle. While OTA updates enable carmakers to improve software, they also introduce risks of security attacks with each update. Attacks on infotainment systems almost double in 2023, accounting for 15% of all attacks.
UN Regulation No. 155 (UN R155), set up by the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP. 29), marks a significant step in automotive cybersecurity, requiring vehicles to meet a minimum level of security. In response, Keysight has collaborated with Block Harbor to develop a cybersecurity testing system tailored to the UN R155 regulation standards. It consists of a comprehensive collection of test scripts positioned at the base vehicle level. The scripts evaluate mitigations M1 through M24, which cover critical attack surfaces relevant to modern vehicles.
This system automates cybersecurity management processes, monitors risks of all products, and matches requirements, items, and security goals to mitigations, tests, and results. It also generates comprehensive reports for auditing and vehicle-type approval processes. This collaborative test innovation between Keysight and Block Harbor helps global automakers meet the rigorous demands of the UN R155 regulation while elevating cybersecurity standards across the automotive industry.
Learn how to validate automotive cybersecurity
Testing radar-based autonomous driving features
Radar-based on a frequency-modulated continuous waveform (FMCW) has become the key technology in most automotive radar applications today. Unlike traditional pulsed radar, FMCW radar avoids high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) in transmission, simplifying the design process for antennas and RF (Radio Frequency) components like power amplifiers.
However, testing FMCW radar systems requires a variety of signal sources, target environment setups and measurements. Keysight’s automotive radar test solutions can analyze and generate automotive radar signals across the full frequency range for 24 GHz, 77 GHz, and 79 GHz radar, with scalable analysis bandwidth from 2.5 GHz to > 5 GHz. Radar engineers can execute specific test cases across different standards with recommended tests and hardware configurations. Additionally, Keysight offers software to automate complex calibration and test setups for interference tests, enhancing validation efficiency.
App note: Understanding FMCW Automotive Radar
Partner with Keysight in SDV Innovations
Keysight is a strategic partner to software-defined vehicle (SDV) innovators, providing equipment and services to validate the software at the heart of these next-generation vehicles, including:
- Test and validation: Simulating real-world driving scenarios, testing in-vehicle networks (IVN), and ensuring compliance with industry standards.
- Emulation: Emulating complex traffic scenes and various driving conditions, enabling customers to thoroughly test ADAS and autonomous driving functionalities in a controlled environment.
- Connectivity: Testing OTA updates and V2X communications to ensure vehicles can communicate seamlessly and securely with external systems.
- Cybersecurity: tools and expertise to help automakers identify and address vulnerabilities in their vehicles’ software.
The future of mobility is brimming with possibilities.
Contact us or download the latest automotive solution catalogs to learn more about how Keysight’s automotive test solutions help ensure the safety, reliability, and performance of SDVs as they hit the road.