Industry Insights
Vehicle Telematics TechnologyAnritsu Response Madhukar Tripathi Anritsu India Pvt Ltd
A
ccording to Counterpoint Technology Market Research Ltd., the number of connected cars with built-in connectivity expected to ship between 2018 and 2022 will reach 125 million units. Connected technology brings new functions and performance to vehicles and forms a key base for delivering new services and business. For example, connected technology has a major impact on remote monitoring of vehicle status as well as on function updates using wireless communications (OTA updates) to provide new services. Additionally, roll-out of commercial 5G services will drastically strengthen connectivity. On the other hand, incorporation of various wireless communications technologies, including 5G, increases the complexity of the communications environment as well as the likelihood of radio interference. Increasing the number of network-connected onboard systems also greatly increases the risk of hacking threats to safety. Automobile manufacturers are facing new cybersecurity problems, making support for both rapid threat response and specialist communications technologies more important than ever before. Implementing intelligent transport systems using vehicle to vehicle/people/ roadside network (V2X) services, etc., will, for example, help assure the safety and security of people and property by providing emergency responders to an automobile accident with easy access to the latest regional maps and visual data via video streaming services and web data. The communications technologies and protocols related to wireless communications supporting the ‘connected car’ cover many fields and are increasing in complexity as represented by the appearance of new automobile wireless standards, such as eCall. Telematics system development engineers developing and evaluating these 30 | Telematics Wire | October 2020
environment. Consequently, in addition to the cellular protocols, there is a strong requirement for quality verification tests in line with actual service and use cases, including IP network connections to test servers and actual servers. Solving these issues increases the efficiency of telematics system development and evaluation and helps cut workloads.
Mandatory eCall, ERA-GLONASS Typical telematics services like eCall and ERA-GLONASS use communications services to help protect life and property, making assured communications a key issue. These services offer rapid response assistance at auto accidents by using cellular networks; in Europe, all new vehicles sold from April 2018 will be fitted with eCall communications equipment while ERA-GLONASS will be fitted to all new vehicles sold in Russia from January 2017.
Laboratory Simulation of Cellular Protocols and IP Networks for Evaluating Telematics Systems Development and evaluation of telematics systems requires implementing every possible laboratory test prior to full-scale field testing, as well as troubleshooting issues to maximize efficiency and cut wasted time at later field testing. This helps improve the quality of telematics systems as well as reduce overall costs. These goals are achieved by configuring various cellular protocol environments in the laboratory to evaluate the telematics system at each development stage. The cellular protocol evaluation environment configuration uses a so-called signalling tester to reproduce and measure various communications conditions between the wireless base station and wireless terminal, but the following issues must be solved to implement a cellular protocol and IP network evaluation environment in the laboratory.
Issue 1. Creating Test Scenarios
Generally, the laboratory cellular protocol evaluation environment is created using test scenarios provided by the wireless measuring instrument vendor. The scenarios are programmed manually (in a programming language) to run the tests. However, test scenario creation is difficult and requires specialist knowledge of cellular protocols.
Issue 2. Verifying Connection with Service Server using IP Network Connection Test
Evaluating the telematics system onboard wireless and dashboard equipment, such as the TCU, before fullscale commercial release requires a test environment as close as possible to the actual operating
eCall, ERA-GLONASS Communications Cellular Protocol Evaluation Environment
latest advances in cellular communications wireless communications technologies are Configuration arewithbeing worldwide with a suffering increasing dailymodules workloads Evaluationfrom of eCall communications and vehicles installeddeveloped equipment requires testing using the ETSI (European Telecommunications test case, requires test data car’ that.can be central focuswhich on the ‘connected which slows deployment and time toStandards market. Institute) handled by the test case. Similarly, evaluation of ERA-GLONASS communications modules and vehicle is based on using cellular installations requires GOST R 55530 certification testing inTelematics accordance with the Russian government ERA-GLONASS standard. Evaluation and certification protocols of eCall and ERA-GLONASS Issues in Connected Car supporting communications data exchange modules and system operation requires configuration of a cellular protocol evaluation environment Wireless anddevelopment calls between in-vehicle wireless following these Communications dedicated test cases and is a key part of each stage. Tests equipment and terminals, as well as IP Telematics service technologies using the networks offering various services.
