Successful Deployment of eCall Live Crash Test

Successful Deployment of eCall Live Crash Test

There is a growing necessity to conform to automotive safety regulations for emergency calls (eCalls). One popular car maker wanted to push its safety standards to the next level by implementing live crash testing for its onboard eCall electronic control unit (ECU) or in-vehicle system (IVS). It soon ran into implementation challenges.

In the eCall system, the IVS detects a crash, for example, by sensing when the airbag deploys, and automatically triggers a mobile phone connection via 112 (or other designated emergency call number) to the nearest available public safety answering point (PSAP). The IVS transmits accident details such as geographical position, the severity of the crash, and vehicle identification number to the PSAP, and then uses the same line to create a voice call to a call center assistant.

While the best innovations can deliver expected results in the lab, the real proof is when it comes to mission-critical technology. The focus on eCall systems has received intense interest among car makers ever since the European Union (EU) mandated that all new vehicles for the EU market sold after April 2018 must have an eCall system. In Russia, a similar global positioning system called ERA-GLONASS has been in use since 2015.

According to EU estimates, eCall reduces emergency response times by 40 percent in urban areas, and 50 percent in rural areas. It is also estimated to reduce fatalities by at least 4 percent, and the number of severe injuries by 6 percent. This car maker knew the best way to test the resilience of its IVS in the event of a road accident was to subject the system to a simulated high-speed impact.

The Challenge: Emulating Realistic Over-the-Air (OTA) Environments

In the past, the car maker only tested their IVS performance in their laboratory. However, moving their tests from the laboratory and manufacturing environments onto a vehicle headed for a collision at 40 mph created various test setup challenges. Although their crash test facility already hosted some of the automotive industry’s most advanced crash simulation technology, the crash hall did not provide for realistic over-the-air (OTA) tests. 

The Results: Further Qualification of eCall Conformance Test Capabilities

The car maker was extremely satisfied with the execution and results of its live crash tests for their eCall systems, which ensured the IVS was not only crashworthy, but able to perform flawlessly to save lives and mitigate injuries and potential fatalities. As a leader in automotive safety, the car maker knew it had to meet and wherever possible, surpass compliance standards for eCall or ERA-GLONASS test requirements. Its crash test laboratory served its vehicle lines and provided many sought-after services for other car makers. The growing autonomous driving car market is expected to push their collision test capacities to the fullest, and this new live eCall crash test capability helps extend their range of test services. 

With the meticulous attention to detail that Keysight gave to the live crash test requirements, the car maker knew it had a reliable solution, which would produce the right results for every car that went through testing in their crash hall, and get it right on the first attempt, saving anywhere from $100K to $500K per car tested. The car maker has started to explore duplicating similar eCall live crash tests for their crash test labs in other countries.