Milestone achieved: First proof of concept workshop for vehicle connectivity

On 7 March 2024, the first proof of concept workshop of the DOCT research project took place in the Heinrich Hertz antenna testing hall of Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen. An important milestone in the project! For the first time, the project partners demonstrated a selected radio scenario with a vehicle in a antenna testing hall.

What is the proof of concept?

The proof of concept setup is used to assess and demonstrate the project results and the functionality of the 'digital twin' developed in the project. The aim is to evaluate the performance of the connectivity of vehicles and vehicle components using the digital twin. The environments created for applications range from purely simulative (SIL) to hybrid - i.e. individual hardware components (HIL) - to fully hardware-based - i.e. the entire vehicle (CIL). The current goal with regard to the proof of concept is to create a measurement environment in the hall provided by Mercedes-Benz that can process and implement the content and results of the work packages, such as radio scenarios or KPIs. In this way, a proof of concept of the digital twin can ultimately be achieved. The Mercedes-Benz antenna testing hall offers ideal conditions for setting up the proof of concept.

What was done in Sindelfingen?

For the PoC workshop in Sindelfingen, previous project results were integrated in the proof of concept setup. The required hardware setup in the Mercedes-Benz antenna testing hall was developed and implemented on this basis. Hardware from partners IZT, Keysight and Rohde & Schwarz was used. The aim was to emulate a directionally resolved radio channel, allowing the vehicle to be positioned in a simulated radio environment. The Radiated Two-Stage (RTS) or wireless cable method, which enables measurements without a cable connection, is used for the measurements. Other concepts, such as the radio head method used by IMST, are also being tested in the project. During the workshop, each individual section of the measurement setup was considered and discussed and the findings were then directly implemented for the live demo. The live demo showcased the selected radio with a vehicle in the testing hall. The project partners were guided systematically through the test and the procedure was demonstrated transparently. This resulted in a valuable exchange in which the measurements were discussed and the next steps and challenges were jointly defined. In addition, the measurements of the live demo with the RTS method showed that the compensation of the transfer matrix between the OTA (over the air) antenna and the DUT (device under test) antenna port is achieved using a channel emulator.

Next steps

The PoC workshop demonstrated the concept for the upcoming PoC measurement system, thereby establishing its basis. Next, the results of this demonstration and further measurements will be evaluated in order to further optimize the measurement system and expand it including possible scenarios and use cases.

The demonstrations have shown that the proof of concept is plausible and provides important insights for further work in the project.

Figure: Proof of  Concept

About DOCT:

The DOCT project (Digital Over-the-air Connectivity Twin) runs over a period of 36 months. The aim of the project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action, is to significantly increase the level of system security and accelerate the development of connectivity systems. Automated driving and infotainment functions used in parallel are placing increasingly complex demands on the modern connectivity system. Creating a digital development environment for secure and robust connectivity systems enables costs to be reduced and resources to be conserved. At the same time, complete validation of the cellular system can increase road safety. Last but not least, Germany as a business location also benefits by accelerating transformational innovations in the connectivity sector.
For further information about the project click here.