ECSEL-Advancing fail-aware, fail-safe, and fail-operational electronic components, systems and architectures for fully automated driving

AutoDrive is an ECSEL JU project under the H2020 programme completed in October 2020 with a duration of 3.5 years. The project coordinator was INFINEON Technologies AG, and approximately 60 partners within the industry and R&D sectors from 14 different nations were participating, (https://autodrive-project.eu/). The overall goal was to contribute to a significantly safer and more efficient mobility by developing innovative electronic components, system architectures and solutions that enable automatic driving under different driving conditions and for all types of vehicle categories. The AutoDrive project focus its activities based on the SAE levels 3 to 5, prepared by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The project was divided into ten supply chains with different demonstrators, where the Norwegian partners participated in the development of a V2X platform for safe and secure communication with low latency. This work was led by SINTEF AS, and the other participating partners were SINTEF Nord AS, NXTECH AS, COMLIGHT AS and VÆRSTE AS. The focus was on communication between autonomous vehicles (V2V) and between vehicles and the infrastructure (V2I / I2V), as well as communication internally in the vehicles and infrastructure. The research addressed among other things, V2X two-way wireless communication that allows fast and secure messaging service for security applications using ITS-G5 technology, future implementation of C-V2X solutions, and possible synergy effects of a coexistence of these two systems. The V2X platform solution includes OBUs (onboard units), RSUs (roadside units), sensors, IoT technologies and GPS solutions for fast and secure information exchange in different traffic situations and provides opportunities for redundant information to current sensor systems that are integrated in the individual vehicles today, and thus increases reliability and safety. This also provides opportunities for a new type of services (e.g., real-time accident alerts) that can be used to support autonomous driving solutions and the zero vision for the number of fatalities and seriously injured in the traffic. Street lighting is an example of infrastructure that today has no or limited opportunities for communication with vehicles and other infrastructure. The integration of radar-based sensor design (24GHz) for detection of moving objects and RSU communication modules in the lighting poles, allows for information transfer (I2V communication) of potential emergencies, and necessary action to be taken (e.g., automatic braking of the vehicle). In the city of Fredrikstad, arrangements were made to demonstrate the project results as part of infrastructure development. Here, the V2X platform was tested and demonstrated in a realistic urban environment using electric vehicles, traffic lights, street lighting, etc. Seven different scenarios were developed and demonstrated with regard to safety and security applications such as vulnerable road users warning, (e.g., detection of a cyclist hidden behind a corner of a house, but on his/her way to cycling at high speed into the street). The results from the AutoDrive project have been well received and several of the project's partners are continuing their collaboration on safety and security for intelligent transport systems.

Med utgangspunkt i prosjektets overordnede målsettinger er forventede virkninger og effekter: - Pålitelighet og robusthet for automatiserte kjøretøyer og tilhørende infrastruktur. - Pålitelighet for aktive sikkerhetssystemer i nødsituasjoner. - Sikker V2X kommunikasjon med lav latenstid. - Konkurransefordeler. - Aksept hos sluttbrukere.

AutoDrive will provide fail-aware, fail-safe, and fail-operational integrated electronic components, Electrical/Electronic (E/E) architectures as well as (deeply) embedded software systems for highly and fully automated driving to make future mobility safer, more efficient, affordable, and end-user acceptable. Advancing towards fail-operational systems will require increased reliability and availability of components, new redundancy schemes as well as architectures, and methodologies to appropriately manage and balance complexity, cost, robustness, and flexibility. A holistic perspective, from electronics to systems will be necessary to take this step in automated vehicles.