Robust and cost-efficient experimental design for technical tests of information and communication technology-based solutions in the automotive sector

• Published in: IET intelligent transport systems Vol. 11; no. 7; pp. 368 - 378
• Main Authors: Demestichas, Konstantinos, Adamopoulou, Evgenia, Asthenopoulos, Vasilis, Kosmides, Pavlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.09.2017
• Subjects: automotive electronics; automotive sector; automotive service; cost‐efficient experimental design; electric vehicle consumption estimation product; electric vehicles; electronic hubs; experimental design process; information and communication technology‐based solutions; on‐road technical tests; performance robustness optimization; Special Section: Selected Papers from the 11th ITS Congress, Glasgow 2016; statistical means; traffic engineering computing; statistical means; automotive sector; electric vehicles; on-road technical tests; traffic engineering computing; performance robustness optimization; cost-efficient experimental design; automotive electronics; information and communication technology-based solutions; electric vehicle consumption estimation product; experimental design process; automotive service; electronic hubs
• ISSN: 1751-956X; 1751-9578; 1751-9578
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-its.2016.0264

Nowadays, an ever-increasing number of information and communication technology solutions (hardware or software based) are finding their way to the automotive sector. Vehicles are being transformed into electronic hubs of information, communication, entertainment and other applications. Prior to commercial deployment, every single of these solutions must undergo a scrutiny of technical tests, often in the field (i.e. on-road as opposed to simulation), in order to ensure safe operation and robust performance. ‘Robustness’ is here perceived as operating as close to the target specifications as possible and with minimum variance, under varying conditions (factors). Meeting this requirement given a limited amount of resources (human, financial, equipment etc.) available for on-road technical tests is often a serious challenge for both researchers and product developers. This study proposes an experimental design process, based on suitable statistical means, for minimising the number of technical tests required to optimise the performance robustness of an automotive service or product under development. The process is substantiated and exemplified for the case study of an electric vehicle consumption estimation product, but could also be used in a variety of other applications (such as navigation, infotainment, safety solutions and others).