Software-defined vehicles and autonomous driving functions are continuously and drastically increasing the complexity of testing. The reason: the complexity and safety requirements for these vehicles have increased enormously. Today's testing strategies, which are often heterogeneous and have grown over several vehicle generations offer valuable potential to make a significant contribution to vehicle approval.
In order to provide traceable and verifiable safety arguments for these software-centric and automated vehicles, testing, verification and validation must be managed, defined and evaluated holistically.
All in: holistic and ready for the future
A developed test concept for the holistic approach helps to understand how the automotive industry succeeds in using its own established procedures to ensure the safety of software-defined vehicles. The outline reveals that from the early phases of testing to open road testing, test procedures must be designed to be consistent, analyzable, evaluable, and comparable to meet current challenges and future requirements.
Become stronger: bringing together tests procedures from two worlds
The various test procedures identified and highlighted in the concept can be clearly anchored in the data-driven development process as well as in the development according to Automotive SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination). It is important that the phases are no longer strictly separated, but that the transitions are smooth and continuous. Iterations and changes between the phases take place constantly and merge into one another. Accordingly, continuity, a procedure that is as standardized as possible, is essential. In order to be able to permit the vehicles at all, there is ultimately no alternative to this holistic approach.
The continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) roundtrip of data-driven development for automated driving systems.
Selected assessment steps from the Automotive SPICE 3.0 Process Reference Model. Automotive SPICE is a variant of the international standard ISO/IEC 15504 (SPICE) for evaluating the performance of development processes of ECU suppliers in the automotive industry.
Curtain up: the test matrix
The test matrix illustrates a meaningful combination of established test environments in relation to well-known test methods to fulfill sufficient test coverage for release and homologation for a software-centric and automated vehicle.
As outlined in the test concept, it is clear that the individual phases cannot be considered separately, as a holistic safety argument relies equally on all pillars. The use of meaningful synergies and transitions between test methods and test environments is essential for vehicle safety.
Engage with the blueprint
The concept was developed to meet the challenges of testing. It is a comprehensive best-practice approach that can be tailored to specific requirements in other projects but still meets the regulatory, legal, and technical requirements. The blueprint is therefore to be seen as an invitation to use it, develop it further, and to critically engage with it.
Let’s talk about solutions:
“In view of the complexity of today's vehicles and the enormous importance of electronics and software, it is no longer possible to imagine a test strategy without a holistic approach.
For this, dSPACE has relevant process experience from industrial development projects and an integrated end-to-end solution portfolio for these demanding tasks. We are your partner along the entire value chain, helping you to introduce new approaches and processes efficiently and implement them reliably.
If you need a sparring partner for your challenges, you've come to the right place.”
Courtesy of ASAM e. V. Source: https://report.asam.net/ – Published August 2023