An international group of experts led by WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group), part of the University of Warwick, and working as part of an ISO technical committee, have published the first international safety standard for Level 4 automated driving systems.
Low-speed automated driving (LSAD) systems such as the autonomous pods are classed as Level 4 automated driving systems. They currently tend to operate on predefined routes in low-speed environments, often being used in commercial, business or university campuses. Yet growth in this area has been hampered by a lack of international standards that define the minimum performance and safety requirements that must be met.
The new standard, ISO 22737 ‘Intelligent transport systems – low-speed automated driving (LSAD) systems for predefined routes – performance requirements, system requirements and performance test procedures’ was developed by an international group led by Dr Siddartha Khastgir from WMG.
In the standard, the group has set out the specific minimum safety and performance requirements for LSAD systems, offering a common language to help facilitate the development and safe deployment of this technology worldwide. Input was provided by representatives from Japan, USA, Canada, Australia, South Korea, China, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Hungary and the UK.
This standardization activity was underpinned by strong research outcomes from the INTACT research project funded by CCAV and Innovate UK and run by WMG and Aurrigo Driverless Technology (a Coventry, UK-based LSAD system manufacturer). It also drew on the research conducted as part of Dr Khastgir’s UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) Future Leaders Fellowship.
Khastgir explained, “An increased use in LSAD systems can lead to a shift in the way people, goods and services are transported. This new standard will enable the safe deployment of an environmentally friendly transport option, as well as a solution for people with mobility issues.”
The key points from the new standard include:
- Providing minimum operating capabilities for LSAD systems including guidance on operational design domain (ODD) definition
- Guidance on how LSAD systems may fit into the wider transport ecosystem
- Performance requirements for different aspects of the LSAD system, such as dynamic driving tasks, emergency maneuvers (e.g. emergency stop and minimal-risk maneuvers), hazardous situation identification, static and dynamic obstacle detection and avoidance
- Test procedures for various system functionalities
Simon Brewerton, CTO at Aurrigo Driverless Technology, commented, “Aurrigo is one of only a couple of UK-based vehicle OEMs who produce low-speed autonomous vehicles. These vehicles are engineered in the UK but are deployed globally. It had been increasingly difficult to communicate the level of safety engineering that our vehicles encompass, and also difficult to compare various attributes and functionality against the perceived state of the art for this class of vehicle.
“Aurrigo decided to invest our resources and domain knowledge following an invitation from WMG to bring an OEM viewpoint to the BSI working group for the ISO 22737 LSAD standard. Working closely with Siddartha, Aurrigo had the opportunity to share the experiences gained from many deployments globally, and provide insight into the practicalities of building a suitable test regime. The new LSAD standard puts a line in the sand for all OEMs to exceed and so enables a global market where all players rise to the same exacting standards as each other, keeping the public safe and the industry competitive.”
ISO 22737 was developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 204 Intelligent Transport Systems, the secretariat of which is held by ANSI, the ISO member for the USA.
