F O C U S 1 7
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Simulation in a virtual world framework
is an integral part of function development
for driver assistance systems.
ple there are still many outstanding
issues on the part of legislation regarding
reproducibility and verification),
highly automated functions are
gaining significance with more and
more premium vehicle manufacturers,
in particular, perceiving them as
USPs. “In the future, AVL is going
to cover all levels, from driver assistance
to highly automated driving,”
adds Thomas Marquardt, AVL contact
person for ADAS in commercial
vehicles. “Being an established
partner when it comes to the development
of driving functions, our
state-of-the-art methods put us in a
position to implement solutions that
match the complex needs of our customers
– whether they concern passenger
cars or commercial vehicles.”
With growing demands on efficiency,
drive systems and drivers, the transport
industry is expected to be one of
the markets with the highest amount
of driverless systems. Already now,
trucks are required by law to have
brake assists. While they currently
remain an optional feature in passenger
cars, these do need to have
them to achieve maximum points
in the NCAP crash test. According
to Thomas Marquardt, software development
plays a major role when
it comes to enhancing drive system
efficiency to achieve sustainably reduced
CO2 emissions. “After analyzing
all of the (environmental) impacts
the vehicle has to cope with, the
software has to define the appropriate
driving strategy. Accordingly, the
system will always choose the optimal
approach for every given situation.
For instance, I can adjust my
driving speed in order to take advantage
of synchronized traffic lights. If I
encounter a big traffic jam, for example,
I can cover the entire distance at
a lower speed to efficiently avoid the
stress of the traffic jam. So the software
basically takes on a supportive
function that involves all systems.”
TAILOR-MADE TEST ENVIRONMENTS
“Testing is a key aspect of quality
assurance and function safeguarding
in ADAS,” emphasizes Erich
Ramschak. “After all, the higher the
SAE level, the greater the demand on
the system and the resulting scope of
testing to ensure failsafe functioning.”
Depending on the level of automation
and the scenarios needed to be
acted out, the distances to be covered
to test the system may be anything
between a few kilometers and more
than 100 million. To be able to handle
such quantities, AVL relies on its
simulation expertise, and shifts testing
to a virtual world framework that
allows the time-efficient and flexible
representation and assessment of a
variety of scenarios. “AVL is neutral
where its suppliers and components
are concerned – this gives us the great
freedom to optimize and tune our expertise
to the needs of our customers
and deliver the best possible solutions
for our customer’s specific task. We
support our customers from an early
phase onward, throughout the individual
development stages right up
to the finished product and, depending
on their requirements, take care
of smaller or larger packages, including
functions in series developments.
Usually it is the customers who
decide according to which specifications
and safety standards they want
their system to be developed and released,”
adds Erich Ramschak, about
the close cooperation between AVL
and OEMs. OEMs can rely on AVL’s
innovative product portfolio, which
offers progressive and future-proof
solutions for every phase of vehicle
development. <