Wireless Communication System for the Validation of Autonomous Driving Functions on Full-Scale Vehicles

The validation of driving functionalities for vehicles is a crucial step towards the implementation of mass production. This is especially true for autonomous functionalities. This paper presents the evaluation of a wireless communication system to aid in the validation of functionalities of full-scale autonomous vehicles in test tracks. The purpose of this system is to allow the analysis of the response of an autonomous function of a vehicle under different driving circumstances. This supports more realistic and relevant tests, since only full-scale vehicles participate in the circuits instead of dummies or crash targets. It also keeps humans out of harm's way, since no occupants are needed inside the vehicles while the execution of the tests due to an autonomous maneuvering system that is controlling the pedals and the steering wheel. This wireless link complies with a series of constraints required for operation with full-scale vehicles. These are: real-time capabilities, connection stability and low packet loss rate. The compliance with these constraints is validated in a test track. For this, a series of tests are set up and performed under controlled conditions to provide specific evaluation parameters.