SOTIF Case Study : Building a Safe Automated Driving System Functionality

by Dr.Juan Pimentel,Gregory Gruska,Nikhil Unnikrishnan published on March 03, 2022

The automotive industry continues to develop ADAS (advanced driver assistance Systems) and automated driving systems called ADS (automated driving systems). Achieving a high level of driving automation of ADS is a challenging endeavour that slows the availability of automated vehicles at levels 2, 3, and 4 in the SAE automation level hierarchy. One strategy to design highly automated vehicles is to carry out the design process by vehicle feature.

Well known vehicle features include:

HWP: Highway pilot (also known as a highway chauffeur)
TJP: Traffic Jam Pilot
CYP: City Pilot
AVP: Automated Valet Parking

The HWP feature is a robot chauffeur (i.e., the ADS) relieving a human driver from driving functions under certain conditions while the vehicle is on a highway. HWP can be designed at levels 3, 4, or 5 and in this case study, we will consider only level 3 functionality.

Author

Nikhil Unnikrishnan

Nikhil Unnikrishnan is a Consultant with a broad range of experience, involved in the design & development of hardware, software and mechanical systems and components. He has worked with organizations to analyze process deficiencies and drive improvement by implementing best-in-class practices conforming to internationally recognized standards such as Automotive SPICE®, ISO 26262 Functional Safety, ISO 9001 & IATF 16949 Quality Management Systems. Nikhil has been involved with performing detailed documentation reviews, Automotive SPICE®, Functional Safety & QMS assessments, process documentation development and conducting roll-outs for numerous leading automotive organizations including multiple Software and Hardware systems. Mr. Unnikrishnan is a Certified Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma Methodologies (CLSSGB) and also Certified Quality Process Analyst (CQPA). He is an Exemplar Global certified Lead Auditor for IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 9001:2015.

Dr.Juan Pimentel

Juan Pimentel - Principal Cyber Security Consultant • Omnex Inc. Juan Pimentel, Omnex principal Cyber Security consultant. He is a member of the US technical Advisory Group for ISO 21448 and writer of the standard. He has extensive Engineering, Safety and Cybersecurity experience. He is also the author of many papers on the safety and security of automotive systems ranging from drive-by-wire systems to ADAS to automated vehicles. He has developed and conducted professional training courses on safeguarding process control systems, safety instrumented systems (SIS), protecting industrial systems including relevant standards (IEC 61508, IEC 61511, and ISO 26262)

Gregory Gruska

Greg Gruska - Omnex Champion for ISO 26262, and a Fellow of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) • Omnex Inc. Greg Gruska, Omnex Champion for Functional Safety and ASQ Fellow, specializes in ISO 26262 engagement, systems engineering, and reliability/safety analysis. With experience spanning various industries worldwide, including automotive, he excels in integrating Functional Safety into development processes. Formerly of General Motors, he managed Quality Engineering, focusing on statstics and new technology development. Greg’s expertise extends to Functional Safety, SOTIF, and hardware metrics, offering guidance to OEM teams. A prolific writer and speaker, he has published numerous works on quality management, statistical analysis, and risk control. Greg, a licensed Professional Engineer and ASQ certified Quality Engineer, is highly regarded as a risk management authority and active member of industry committees. He provides consulting, training, and software services in Ann Arbor, MI, with a specialization in Automotive Software and ISO compliance.