HORIBA MIRA has announced that its ASSURED CAV facility is now open and fully operational. The company describe the extensive facility as Europe’s most comprehensive ecosystem for connected and automated vehicle engineering and testing.
ASSURED CAV aims to provide a complete solution that effectively supports mobility companies in every aspect of designing, developing, and testing self-driving technology. HORIBA MIRA says this should reduce the uncertainty, complexity, and development time.
Located in Nuneaton, UK, ASSURED CAV provides access to a diverse mix of physical and virtual environments that replicate real-world scenarios to validate the critical challenges of implementing connected self-driving technologies and ensuring products are safe, secure and robust. The overall project took more than four years to complete, where 235,000m3 of earth was moved and reused on-site, mainly on the ASSURED HIGHWAY. All the test areas have zero-gradient, both longitudinally and transversely.
The company have provided an overview of the extensive services available at Assured CAV. There are three significant facilities and an extensive route network. Assured Highway, Assured City, Assured Parking and Assured Routes.
HIGHWAY
This facility is entirely level, featuring a 300m diameter dynamic platform, allowing vehicles to be tested at the limit of controllability. In addition, fully configurable lane and junction markings permit customisable scenario-based testing of merging, lane assist, and evasive manoeuvres to be conducted to international regulatory protocols.
An Example Use Case
For ADAS and CAV, the west tangential approach is set-up with a variety of centre line and lane edge temporary line marking to facilitate the testing and development of lane support systems across a wide range of use cases. Given the nature of the approach, engineers can also undertake vehicle-overtaking, Vehicle-undertaking and oncoming-vehicle scenarios.
In addition, the central approach can accommodate AEB testing for rear end, vulnerable road users and junctions, with an NCAP specification junction marked out utilising temporary line-markings.
A completely level facility with a 300m diameter dynamic platform to test vehicles at their limit.
Fully configurable lane and junction markings.
The asphalt surface is within +/- 4mm flatness across the entire test area.
Central approach road is 15 lanes wide.
Supports customisable scenario-based testing of merging, lane assist, platooning, and evasive manoeuvres to be conducted to international regulatory protocols.
CITY
According to Horiba Mira, this area is fully controllable and configurable, connected urban and sub-urban driving environment. Furthermore, a mix of urban junction types and street furniture is frequently experienced in cities, validating complex automated driving systems and traffic scenarios under safe and repeatable test conditions.
Example Use Case
The master junction, equipped with connected traffic lights and alongside the privately terminated 5G network available across all ASSURED CAV facilities, has been designed to enable R&D of Green Light Optimisation systems. The connected traffic lights are also able to support the ITS G5 protocol.
Fully controllable and configurable, connected urban and sub-urban driving environment.
Mix of urban junction types and street furniture that can be frequently experienced in cities.
Enables the validation of complex automated driving systems and traffic scenarios under safe and repeatable test conditions.
PARKING
The company describe this facility as a dedicated multi-storey car park located within ASSURED CITY, replicating real-world situations to support the development of self-parking solutions. In covered locations, restricted visibility, constricted manoeuvres, and GPS drop-out can be tested in a fully configurable and safe, controlled environment.
Example Use Case
The multi-story car park has been designed to facilitate the development of Autonomous Valet Parking systems. It also provides many challenging test scenarios, including sensor deflection from ramps. Using the indoor localisation technology available in the car park, other actors, such as vulnerable road users can be injected into scenarios during manoeuvres. The lighting within the car park is fully configurable to create sensor blindness due to varying lighting levels across an indoor car park.
A dedicated multi-storey car park replicating real-world situations to support the development of self-parking solutions
Restricted visibility, constricted manoeuvres and GPS drop-out in covered locations
Indoor Positioning System to allow full GPS equivalency within the structure for accurate location and robotic target synchronisation
ROUTES
Assured CAV boasts a 500km network of CAV-enabled public roads, directly accessible from the site, the network is equipped with a range of intelligent transport systems.
A 500km network of CAV-enabled public roads, directly accessible from site
Equipped with a dedicated communications infrastructure
Access to a full hierarchy of local and strategic road classifications
In addition Horiba Mira says it will offer Advanced simulation capabilities with pre-configured ‘test-ready’ scenario database. Furthermore, digital twins for physical tests on the proving ground and on routes, and proprietary tools to replicate weather and road conditions.
Comments