A Two-Level Abstraction ODD Definition Language: Part I

Abstract

The development of Automated Driving Systems (ADSs) is driven by the many benefits they offer. However, the complexities associated with ADSs and their interactions with the environment pose challenges for their safety assurance. A key aspect during its development process is knowing the capabilities, limitations, and being able to convey them in a clear manner for various types of stakeholders. The Operational Design Domain (ODD) concept was introduced to define the operating boundaries where a system can operate safely. It is therefore a key element for the safety assurance of ADSs. Efforts have been made to define the scope and the content an ODD for ADSs should cover, however there remains the need for a common, exchangeable, executable, and human-readable format for the description. This paper presents a language for the description of the ODD of ADSs, in a textual format that leans on natural language influence. Such format is intended to be both human and machine-readable and would be relevant to end users such as regulators and systems designers. The two-level abstraction approach – a structured natural language representation and a formal representation (covered across two papers) -- has been developed to have the ability to describe complex ODD conditionalities and utilize a well-defined domain ontology to achieve rich semantics. It is aimed to support ODD related activities throughout the development cycle of ADSs (specification as well as verification and validation), while covering a diverse range of stakeholders.