Method and arrangement relating to testing of communication and connectivety based functions

Abstract

:The present invention relates to a method, a device and a system for affecting the connectivity parameters of a vehicle for testing purposes. More specifically, the means of the invention are adapted to interface with the vehicle communication systems and affect them, degrading or restoring the communication capabilities of the vehicle. Thereby may realistic testing scenarios be created of how a communication link of fluctuating quality affects the behavior and / or performance of the vehicle. A user or system can control and view the level of degradation or when to restore the connectivity parameters via user and application programming interfaces, respectively.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and arrangements such as devices and systems utilized in testing communication and connectivity-based functions, such functions typically found in automated or remotely operated vehicles. In particular, the invention relates to a method and arrangements for affecting the connectivity parameters of a vehicle for testing purposes.Background of the inventionWith the development of automated and remotely operated vehicles, vessels, crafts, machinery and other equipment the demand for secure and reliable communication has increased. For remotely operated vehicles and equipment this is evident, but also automated vehicles and semi-automated vehicles due in fact rely heavily on more or less continuous communication with a wireless communication network, for example over a 5G communication network. A robust and reliable communication link ensures monitoring and updating over the air, but most importantly, facilitates a possibility to remotely take control over the vehicle if the automated functions fail. This could for example be the case if the vehicle encounters a situation which is not anticipated by the vehicles control system, in other words a situation for which the vehicles control system is not trained. Also, a malfunctioning sensor or sensor system could require a shift from a fully automated control of the vehicle to an at least partly remotely controlled state. Solutions based on a remote control as a back-up to automated control are vulnerable to network congestion, which can lead to network delays, errors or data loss, as well as network disruptions, which degrade signal quality and integrity, resulting in corrupt or missing data. A comprehensive study of the requirements for remote control of vehicles is given in “ Remote Driving of Road Vehicles: A Survey of Driving Feedback, Latency, Support Control, and Real Applications ”, Lin Zhao at all (add link) and the fact that also automated vehicles are dependent on secure and reliable communication is addressed in “"Self-Driving" Cars Have a Dirty Secret”, (https: / / futurism.com / the-byte / selfdriving-dirty-secret) .Automated vehicles as well as other automated or semi-automated machinery undergoes rigorous testing in order to be safe and reliable both for the user and also for others in the vicinity of the vehicle / machinery. Included in today's applied testing protocols are simulations of communication degradation and failure. A substantial amount of testing has to be done in order to ensure correct operations of vehicle connectivity functions across all relevant scenarios. Research targeting this problem area uses simulated environments to analyze the effects on vehicle maneuverability, where network disturbances are injected into the simulated communication links. In addition to simulation-based testing, there is a need to test and verify the solution in real-world tests. Today’s solutions and methods for affecting connectivity are typically blunt instruments implemented on the radio base stations themselves on a per-telecom operator basis. As such, they affect all vehicles within the radio cell coverage, even vehicles not currently undergoing testing, and do not allow fine-grained control over the connectivity and are not suitable for use cases that require flexible and mobile solutions that are independent of the telecom operator. In fact, with the prior art technique affecting the signal at the radio base station, certain tests depending on continuous communication may not be possible to perform. Therefore, there is a need for solutions that allow rapid and cost-efficient simulation of these connectivity-based scenarios.Summary of the inventionThe object of the invention is to provide a connectivity control device, system and method that overcomes the drawbacks of prior art technologies and enables cost-efficient simulation of connectivity-based scenarios in testing of automated vehicles and semi-automated and the like.This is achieved by the connectivity controlling device as defined in claim 1, the system utilizing a connectivity controlling device as defined in claim 5 and the method as defined in claim 6.According to one aspect of the invention a connectivity controlling device is provided. The connectivity controlling device is arranged to be in connection and in communication with an automotive electronic and electrical (E / E) system of a vehicle, the automotive E / E system comprising a vehicle control system, a modem and an antenna. The connectivity controlling device comprises an induced disturbance unit arranged to affect the automotive E / E system, by interfering with the Ethernet IP-traffic and / or affecting the RE signal received from the antenna. The connectivity controlling device further comprises a CPU in connection with, and arranged to control, the induced disturbance unit and a communication unit in connection with the CPU.According to one embodiment the induced disturbance unit comprises an RF disturbance unit arranged to be connected in between the modem and the antenna of the automotive E / E system and arranged to affect the RF-signal between the modem and the antenna.According to one embodiment the RF disturbance unit comprises a programmable RF attenuator, arranged to be controlled by the CPU thereby providing for a remotely controlled attenuation.According to one embodiment the induced disturbance unit comprises a network disturbance unit arranged to be connected in between the vehicle system and the modem, the network disturbance unit comprising means for data communication such as an Ethernet connection and being arranged to run network emulation software to control IP-traffic.According to one aspect of the invention a system for testing connectivity dependent functions of a vehicle is provided. The system comprises a vehicle, a remote vehicle test orchestrator arranged to control the testing of the vehicle and a connectivity controller as described above, and wherein the connectivity controller is via wireless communication in connection with a remote vehicle test orchestrator.According to one aspect of the invention a method of performing a test of connectivity dependent functions of a vehicle is provided. The vehicle is provided with an automotive E / E system comprising a vehicle control system, a modem and an antenna. For the test a connectivity controlling device as described above is provided in connection with the automotive E / E system. The method comprises the connectivity controlling device interfering with the IP-traffic in the automotive E / E system and / or affecting the RF signal received from the antenna.According to one embodiment the method comprises the steps of:- initiating a testing sequence comprising one or more instructions is by a remote vehicle test orchestrator;- issue an instruction to affect the wireless communication is issued from the remote vehicle test orchestrator;- the connectivity controller receiving the instruction;- a CPU of the connectivity controller instructing an RF disturbance unit to affect the RF-signal according to the instruction;- recording and logging performance data relating to the instruction;- repeating steps from the step of issuing an instruction to the step recording and logging.According to one embodiment the method comprises the steps of:- initiating a testing sequence comprising one or more instructions is by a remote vehicle test orchestrator;- issue an instruction to affect the wireless communication is issued from the remote vehicle test orchestrator;- the connectivity controller receiving the instruction;- a CPU of the connectivity controller instructing an instructs network disturbance unit to affect the IP-traffic in the automotive E / E system;- recording and logging performance data relating to the instruction;- repeating steps from the step of issuing an instruction to the step recording and logging.Thanks to the invention it is possible to provide a method, device and system that makes it possible to test connectivity based functions of a vehicle effectively and in an automated fashion. In particular, the present invention makes it possible to perform a test with a specific vehicle without disturbing the radio communication required for other communications on a test site.A further advantage of the invention is the possibility to record real life scenarios of the radio environment and use these as a base for testing sequencies. It is also possible to affect both a RF-signal received and transmitted by the tested vehicle and IP-traffic within the vehicle.A further advantage of the invention is that the connectivity controlling device is a stand alone unit that may be provided to the vehicle for the testing.In the following, the invention will be described in more detail, by way of example only, with regard to non-limiting embodiments thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.Figure 1a is a schematic illustration of the main functional parts of an automotive E / E system 100 of a vehicle (Prior Art);Figure 1b is a schematic illustration of a connectivity controller according to the invention in connection with an automotive E / E system of a vehicle;Figure 1c is a schematic illustration of a connectivity controller according to one embodiment the invention;Figure 1d is a schematic illustration of the connectivity controlling system according to the invention;Figure 2a-b are charts illustrating the method according to the invention.Detailed descriptionTerms such as ”top”, “bottom”, upper”, lower”, “below”, “above” etc are used merely with reference to the geometry of the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings and / or during normal operation of the device / devices and are not intended to limit the invention in any manner.The device, system and method according to the invention will be described primarily in the context of testing an automated, connected, and / or remotely controlled vehicle. Although a typically and preferred implementation of the invention, the invention is not limited to vehicles. As appreciated by the skilled person similar conditions arise also for other types of machinery that is dependent on some kind of wireless communication and which face varying and / or complex scenarios. Typically, this is most relevant for moving machinery, but it is not excluded that there is a need to also test and verify how connectivity affects also stationary machinery. Such machinery includes, but is not limited to robots, trucks, construction machines, mining equipment etc. The terms vehicle and machinery should herewithin be regarded as interchangeable. Automated vehicles are sometimes referred to as autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, which is included in the terms “automated vehicles” and “semiautomated vehicles”.The present invention may be seen as a means for affecting the connectivity parameters of a vehicle for testing purposes. More specifically, the means of the invention are adapted to interface with the vehicle communication systems and affect them, degrading or restoring the communication capabilities of the vehicle. Thereby may realistic testing scenarios be created of how a communication link of fluctuating quality affects the behavior and / or performance of the vehicle. A user or system can control and view the level of degradation or when to restore the connectivity parameters via user and application programming interfaces, respectively. Affecting connectivity parameters may include affecting physical properties such as attenuation of a radio frequency signal, RF-signal, received by an antenna and to affecting the transmission of digital data packets, for example Ethemet / IP -packet flows or similar. The terms “IP-traffic” and “IP-packet flows” will be used herewithin for all such communication and should not be seen to limit to a specific protocol or medium.Figure la illustrates schematically the main functional parts of an automotive electronic and electrical (E / E) system 100 of a vehicle, the automotive E / E system 100 comprising a vehicle control system 110, a modem 120 and an antenna 130. Modem should be regarded as a general term for equipment used to perform wireless communication and may comprise a plurality of components. Communication within the vehicle control system 110 and in between the vehicle control system 110 and the modem 120 is typically via an Ethernet connection 115, for example 1000BASE-T, 1000BASE-T1 or similar. The wireless communication transmitted via the antenna 130 is typically according to the 5G standard, although other standards may be utilized. The antenna 130 is connected to the modem with a wired connection 125 selected to be suitable for the communication standard in use. The vehicle system 110 is further typically equipped with a large number of sensors and other means (not shown) to record and store a multitude of data relating to the vehicle’s behavior and performance during testing. Such arrangements are well known in the industry.Figure lb illustrates schematically the automotive E / E system 100 of a vehicle in connection with a connectivity controller 150 according to the present invention. The connectivity controller 150 comprises an induced disturbance unit 160 arranged to affect the automotive E / E system 100, by interfering with the IP-traffic and / or affecting the RE signal received from the antenna 130. In the first case the connectivity controller 150 acts as a man-in-the-middle between the vehicle system 110 and the modem 120. In the second case the connectivity controller 150 acts as a man-in-the-middle between the modem 120 and the antenna 130. The connectivity controller 150 further comprises a CPU 170 in connection with and arranged to control the induced disturbance unit 160. The connectivity controller 150 further comprises a communication unit 180 in connection with the CPU 170. The communication unit 180 is preferably arranged for wireless communication, for example utilizing the 5G standard.Thereby, the connectivity controller 150 is arranged to receive instructions from a remote user or control function for controlling the induced disturbance unit 160.According to one embodiment, schematically illustrated in Figure 1c, the induced disturbance unit 160 comprises an RF disturbance unit 161 arranged to be connected in between the modem 120 and the antenna 130 of the automotive E / E system 100. The RE disturbance unit 161 preferably comprises a programmable RF attenuator 162, i.e. an attenuator wherein the attenuation may be set. Alternatively, the RF disturbance unit 161 may be provided with two or more RF attenuators with fixed but different attenuations and a switching arrangement to switch between the different RF attenuators or add their attenuation in a consecutive way. Suitable programmable RF attenuators are commercially available from for example Mini-Circuits (https: / / www.minicircuits.com / WebStore / RF-Programmable-Step-Attenuators.html).According to one embodiment, schematically illustrated in Figure 1c, the induced disturbance unit 160 comprises a network disturbance unit 163 arranged to be connected in between the vehicle system 110 and the modem 120. The network disturbance unit 163 comprises means for Ethernet connection and is arranged to run network emulation software to control IP-traffic flows. A suitable software package is netem (https: / / man7.org / linux / manpages / man8 / tc-netem. 8 .html).A preferred embodiment comprises both the RF disturbance unit 161 and the network disturbance unit 163Figure 1d schematically illustrates the system according to the invention on a functional level. A vehicle 101 is for testing purposes provided with the connectivity controller 150 in wired connection with the vehicle system 110 as described above. The connectivity controller 150 is via wireless communication in connection with a remote vehicle test orchestrator 190. The remote vehicle test orchestrator 190, which may be implemented in a server, typically controls all, or a major part of the testing of the vehicle, and is provided with dedicated software to control and receive information from the connectivity controller 150, for example via API calls. The remote vehicle test orchestrator 190 is typically provided with a user interface 191 to adjust testing parameters and preferably also to perform the connectivity testing in real time.The method of performing a testing operation according to the invention is described with reference to the charts of Figure 2a-b. The method is here described as comprising two modes, the first relating to the deliberate attenuation of the RF-signal between the vehicle system 110 and the antenna 130 and the second relating to the affecting the IP-traffic between the vehicle system 110 and the modem 120. Preferably the method of performing a test operation utilizes both modes and testing sequencies may include instructions relating to the attenuation of the RP-signal and instructions to affect the IP-traffic.The part (first mode) of the method relating to the attenuation of the RF-signal is illustrated in Figure 2a and comprises the steps:200a: In an initial unaffected state the vehicle 101 communicates with the outside world via wireless communication employing the communication system 100 and the antenna 130.205a: A testing sequence comprising one or more instructions is initiated by the remote vehicle test orchestrator 190, either as a part of a pre-programmed test or initiated by a user via the user interface 191.210a: An instruction to affect the wireless communication is issued from the remote vehicle test orchestrator 190. The instruction may comprise to disrupt the wireless communication completely or set a predetermined level of attenuation to the RF-signal.215a: The instruction is received by the connectivity controller 150.220a: The CPU 170 of the connectivity controller 150 instructs the RF disturbance unit 161 to affect the RF-signal according to the instruction.225a: Performance data relating to the instruction is recorded and logged by the vehicle system 110. The performance data is typically data from a larger number of vehicle sub systems and sensors reflecting the behavior and performance of the connectivity of the vehicle being affected by the instruction. The performance data may also be communicated to the connectivity controller 150 and stored there or communicated from the connectivity controller 150 to the remote vehicle test orchestrator 190.230a: Steps 210a-225a are repeated for all instructions in the sequence.The RF disturbance, performed in step 220a, may for example comprise to attenuate out signal by -10dB. Instructions may for example also comprise to remove the RF-disturbance after being disturbed for a predetermined period of time or stepwise increase / decrease the attenuation. Hence, the instructions sequence may be utilized to mimic a specific radio environment.The part (second mode) of the method relating to affecting the IP -traffic is illustrated in Figure 2b and comprises the steps:200b: In an initial unaffected state the vehicle 101 communicates with the outside world via wireless communication employing the communication system 100 and the antenna 130.205b: A testing sequence comprising one or more instructions is initiated by the remote vehicle test orchestrator 190, either as a part of a pre-programmed test or initiated by a user via the user interface 191.210b: An instruction to affect the wireless communication is issued from the remote vehicle test orchestrator 190. The instruction comprises to affect the IP-traffic between the vehicle system 110 and the modem 120 according to the instruction.215b: The instruction is received by the connectivity controller 150.220b: The CPU 170 of the connectivity controller 150 instructs network disturbance unit 163 to affect the IP-traffic between the vehicle system 110 and the modem 120 according to the instruction.225b: Performance data relating to the instruction is recorded and logged by the vehicle system 110. The performance data is typically data from a larger number of vehicle sub systems and sensors reflecting the behavior and performance of the connectivity of the vehicle being affected by the instruction. The performance data may also be communicated to the connectivity controller 150 and stored there or communicated from the connectivity controller 150 to the remote vehicle test orchestrator 190.230b: Steps 210b-225b are repeated for all instructions in the sequence.The network disturbance, performed in step 220b may comprise a multitude of different controlled disturbances, for example, but not limited to: Packet Delay, Packet Loss, Packet Corruption, Packet Duplication, and Packet Reordering. A network disturbance instruction may have the form: “ delay each packet [x milliseconds with a std deviation ofy milliseconds, according to a normal distribution] and corrupt [z% of packets] and reorder [w% of packets ]“A comprehensive description of the functionality of the software package is netem suitable for controlling the network disturbances is found here: https: / / man7.org / linux / manpages / man8 / tc-netem.8.html.According to one embodiment of the invention the method comprises a pre-phase wherein testing sequencies are provided by letting a vehicle record the variation in RF-signal and / or internal IP-traffic in real life scenarios. These scenarios can for example reflect situations wherein disturbances are to be expected, for example driving through a tunnel or driving in areas there it is known that the cellular traffic often is congested. Hence, a library of testing sequencies based on real life scenarios may be produced and stored and which the remote vehicle test orchestrator 190 and / or the user have access to. This is advantageous as it may be very difficult to try to mimic a fluctuating RF-signal from scratch. Similarly, “packet traces” may be recorded in real life scenarios reflecting how the IP-traffic is affected, such traces may include packet drop, packet retransmission etc. The packet traces may be a base for creating specific profiles that are feed to the vehicle in an operation scenario. The prestored instructions may during testing be used in traffic scenarios wherein these communication disturbances are likely to occur. Alternatively, the scenarios are ”made up” without recording real life scenarios, for example standardized scenarios, or a combination of real life scenarios and “made up” scenarios.The embodiments described above are to be understood as illustrative examples of the system and method of the present invention. It will be understood that those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations and changes may be made to the embodiments. In particular, different part solutions in the different embodiments can be combined in other configurations, where technically possible.

Claims

1. A connectivity controlling device (150) arranged to be in connection and in communication with an automotive E / E system (100) of a vehicle, the automotive E / E system (100) comprising a vehicle control system (110), a modem (120) and an antenna (130),the connectivity controlling device (150) characterized by an induced disturbance unit (160) arranged to affect the automotive E / E system (100), by interfering with the IP-traffic and / or affecting the RE signal received from the antenna (130); and wherein the connectivity controlling device (150) further comprises a CPU (170) in connection with and arranged to control the induced disturbance unit (160) and a communication unit (180) in connection with the CPU (170).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the induced disturbance unit (160) comprises an RF disturbance unit (161) arranged to be connected in between the modem (120) and the antenna (130) of the automotive E / E system (100) and arrange to affect the RF-signal between the modem (120) and the antenna (130).

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the RF disturbance unit (161) comprises a programmable RF attenuator (162), arranged to be controlled by the CPU (170) thereby providing for a remotely controlled attenuation.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the induced disturbance unit (160) comprises a network disturbance unit (163) arranged to be connected in between the vehicle system (110) and the modem (120), the network disturbance unit (163) comprising means for Ethernet connection and being arranged to run network emulation software to control IP-traffic.

5. A system for testing connectivity dependent functions of a vehicle, the system comprising a vehicle (101), a remote vehicle test orchestrator (190) arranged to control the testing of the vehicle (101) and a connectivity controller (150) according to any of claims 1 to 4, and wherein the connectivity controller (150) is via wireless communication in connection with a remote vehicle test orchestrator (190).

6. A method of performing a test of connectivity dependent functions of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle (101) is provided with an automotive E / E system (100)comprising a vehicle control system (110), a modem (120) and an antenna (130), and wherein during the testing a connectivity controlling device (150) is provided in connection with the automotive E / E system (100), the method characterized in that the connectivity controlling device (150) interferes with the IP-traffic in the automotive E / E system (100) and / or affects the RF signal received from the antenna (130).

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:- (205a) initiating a testing sequence comprising one or more instructions by a remote vehicle test orchestrator (190);- (210a) issue an instruction to affect the wireless communication is issued from the remote vehicle test orchestrator (190);- (215a) the connectivity controller 150 receiving the instruction;- (220a) a CPU (170) of the connectivity controller (150) instructing an RF disturbance unit (161) to affect the RF-signal according to the instruction;- (225a) recording and logging performance data relating to the instruction;- (230a) repeating steps 210a-225a are repeated for all instructions in the sequence.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:- (205b) initiating a testing sequence comprising one or more instructions by a remote vehicle test orchestrator (190);- (210b) issue an instruction to affect the wireless communication is issued from the remote vehicle test orchestrator (190);- (215b) the connectivity controller (150) receiving the instruction;- (220b) a CPU (170) of the connectivity controller (150) instructing an instructs network disturbance unit 163 to affect the IP-traffic in the automotive E / E system (100);- (225b) recording and logging performance data relating to the instruction;- (230b) repeating steps 210b-225b are repeated for all instructions in the sequence.