New assessment and testing methodology for vehicle type approval

Abstract

"Technological innovations in the field of Connected and Automated Driving have a strong impact in different areas in the automotive industry. Among those areas, the effect on vehicle homologation procedures is game changing, in a way that requires a brand-new approach. Traditionally, the homologation process based on the UNECE Regulatory framework has been a single step at the end of the development phase, where regulations normally defined a series of repeatable scenarios to be evaluated, where the effect of the driver is typically suppressed by means of the measurement of the inputs on the vehicle commands or by means of the use of driving robots. This approach was initially challenged by the introduction of assisted systems, such as Advance Emergency Brake. Those systems are commanded by Electronic Control Systems which, in some circumstances, may control certain vehicle functions, such as braking or steering. The introduction of such functions required a different approach to the vehicle type approval, to evaluate possible failures associated to the Electronic Control Systems. In such context, concepts such as Functional Safety (FuSa) or Safety Of The Intended Functionality (SOTIF) were introduce as part of the type approval process. This new approach turned the technical evaluation of the compliance from a testing activity in selected scenarios into a combination of testing and assessment of the manufacturer safety concept. However, the introduction of the first SAE L3 functions into the market add a new layer of complexity into the type approval. Such technologies replace the human driver during certain dynamic driving tasks, within an unlimited number of scenarios. This circumstance does not allow the classic strategy of removing the human effect from the test scenarios and required a second loop in the modification of the type approval processes, so as to move from an evaluation of the performance to an evaluation of the behaviour of the vehicle. As a result, UNECE WP.29 published the “Framework Document on Automated/Autonomous Vehicles”, a document whose purpose was: a) To provide guidance to WP.29 subsidiary Working Parties (GRs) by identifying key principles for the safety and security of automated/autonomous vehicles of levels 3 and higher. b) To define the work priorities for WP.29 and indicate the deliverables, timelines and working arrangements for those certain work products related to those priorities. Consequently, several actions took place which have paved the road into a new type approval approach, currently under development, but with a series of principles widely accepted by the rulemaking community. Examples of such actions include: a) New working group structure within UNECE WP.29 b) Development of a series of New Assessment and Testing Methods (NATM) which combine the classic test on the proving ground with new tools, such as the assessment of the manufacturer safety concept, the use of simulation or the real-world testing. "