Testing & Validating Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)

From lane departure warning to active cruise control and collision mitigation: VBOX systems provide a simple and accurate way to test and validate ADAS technology.

Many cars are now fitted with active safety systems, using sensors to analyse driver actions and the environment, intervening when necessary to protect the vehicle. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as active cruise control, lane departure warning, forward collision warning and blind spot detection are complex and rely on a number of data sources.

Testing these systems during their development and verifiying their performance presents a challenge. Manufacturers and suppliers must conform to the new regulations set by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) or the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) before introducing these popular features to their vehicles.

With the possibility that some ADAS systems will soon become mandatory, it is increasingly important that testing methods are accurate, flexible, and affordable.

The VBOX ADAS Testing System

With customers including Jaguar Land Rover, Continental, Peugeot, Autoliv, Toyota, VTI, Saab, and Hyundai, the Racelogic VBOX ADAS testing system allows developers to easily verify the effectiveness of their products, with real time measurements of parameters from up to two vehicles at sub 2cm positional accuracy and velocity accuracy of 0.1km/h.

At the core of the system is Racelogic’s flagship VBOX 3i R10G10 data logger, connected via radio telemetry to an RTK BaseStation. GPS and CAN data can be viewed real-time and logged for analysis.

Approved by TRC for NHTSA Lane Departure Warning System and Forward Collision Warning System tests.

Video Integration

Unlike other systems, the VBOX ADAS testing system is able to seamlessly integrate this data with video.

This is ideal for the requirement stipulated by NHTSA for their FCWS (Forward Collision Warning Systems) and NHTSA LDWS (Lane Departure Warning Systems) confirmation tests.

NHTSA require that video evidence to be provided of the systems operating, along with the data. A Video VBOX (which can record from up to 4 bullet cameras) enables the data to be synchronised and embedded on the video in real time for enhanced analysis and demonstration.

This means that a graphically overlaid ruler on the data-enhanced video can be lined up and calibrated with a rule on the ground, allowing the user to easily verify lane deviation or blind spot detection.

This intuitive way of viewing complex information enables users to immediately recognize the relationship between different variables, enabling more effective testing. Monitoring the actions of driver, vehicle, and external environment alongside positional data is invaluable in test analysis.

Systems are fully configurable to suit each and every customer's needs. Prices start from £38,000 - Contact us for more information.

Customer Profile: FT Techno at the Fowlerville Proving Ground, USA FT Techno use Video VBOX for blind spot detection system tests, putting markers on the graphic overlay using Racelogic’s configuration software to visually determine vehicle position. Project Engineer Jason Musson: “Video VBOX is highly desirable on and off our proving ground. It enables us to record video data and then bring this back to the track. The video data from off site is then correlated into objective data to control real life scenarios. This is vital for Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Collision Mitigation, and Blind Spot monitoring technologies. “Connecting other VBOX modules to the system enables us to input various signals including CAN, Analog, and Digital. We can also couple out other test equipment into the system and then overlay this on the Video VBOX screen. The simple set up and adaptability of the system makes it ideal for benchmark testing.”

Customer Profile: Continental Automotive Systems Continental are behind numerous innovations in driving safety, producing products for many global vehicle manufacturers. For the test and development of their ADAS products they needed a flexible system to help them quickly measure complex data with maximum accuracy. Rob Cavanagh, Lead ADAS engineer at Continental: “The VBOX ADAS system has proved very useful. We even use it in client demos, which give a great illustration of the accuracy of our products against the VBOX benchmark. I especially like its ability to be installed in two vehicles, zero the distances out, and be testing in just 15 minutes.”