System Architecture and Application-Specific Verification Method for Fault-Tolerant Automated Driving Systems

Automated vehicles come with promises for higher comfort and safety compared to standard human-driven vehicles. Various demonstrator vehicles with fully automated driving capabilities have been already presented with success. Yet, there is a large number of technical challenges to be solved until the safety levels comply with those required from safety standards, and most importantly with those for public acceptance. In this paper, we introduce the technical challenges resulting from the need for fault-tolerant capabilities of automated vehicles with no fallback-ready drivers. We then propose a concrete solution to these challenges. This includes a fault-tolerant architecture for automated driving systems. Furthermore we introduce, the safety co-pilot, that is a safety mechanism that ensures the coordinated operation of two or more redundant automated driving systems, by means of novel application-specific verification methods. We conclude our work with experimental proof of concept results of the proposed solution.