SAFETEL - Safe Electromagnetic Telecommunications on Vehicle
Overview
Background & policy context:
The SAFETEL Project was set up in the FP6 framework taking into account the Commission Communication for Safe and Intelligent Vehicles COM(2003) 542.
This research was proposed by SYDERA to the FP6 with the purpose of studying the improvement of the robustness of motor vehicles against electro magnetic (EM) disturbances due to both the internal and external EM environment. Its goal is to achieve a higher level of safety than current standards by providing advanced tools for prediction, design and testing.
The project was intended to define a simulation and test strategy, and provide a set of theoretical instruments and design tools to guarantee the proper EMC design of electronic equipment in the presence of vehicle on-board receivers and transmitters.
Objectives:
SAFETEL was aimed at pursuing the objectives as addressed by IST-2002-2.3.1.10: 'eSafety of road and air transports', and was also relevant to the strategic objectives of SUSTDEV-2: 'Sustainable surface transport'.
SAFETEL was aimed at fulfilling the FP6 thematic priority 6 and covered the areas:
- electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing;
- electroMagnetic (EM) environment modelling;
- rapid prototyping;
- integration.
Finally, a SAFETEL objective within the Thematic Priority Area was to develop a production environment specific to surface transport based on the innovative use of advanced design and manufacturing technologies.
The SAFETEL research Project was specifically focused on the following:
- to improve the robustness of vehicles against electro magnetic (EM) disturbances;
- to increase road safety by achieving levels greater than the existing standards against internal and external EM environment;
- support competition within the European automotive industry.
This is to be achieved by the seven research objectives listed hereafter:
- to define the design electromagnetic environment vehicles are faced with;
- to define immunity safety margins of on board electronic components and equipment;
- to define the EM hardening rules to be applied to the on board equipment design;
- to define advanced test methods and procedures applicable for quantitative measurement of EM threat effects;
- to specify the requirements relevant to a High Intensity Susceptibility Signal (HISS) test setup and facility;
- to specify/design software tools useful to rapid prototyping for vehicles;
- to define a risk assessment model.
Methodology:
The work was based on two lines of research.
The first one was to characterise electronic component behaviour in terms of susceptibility to the electromagnetic environment, and to characterise the EM environment as well, due to sources installed both externally and internally to the vehicles in their operating context. This approach was aimed at defining a design environment to support engineers at an early stage of design with proper solutions to prevent or avoid susceptibility problems. An integrated design environment of this kind constitutes a powerful tool to increase immunity of equipment and systems, to the whole vehicle level, in a pre-prototype phase.
The second line was devoted to the definition/proposition of advanced and enhanced strength test methods, which also come from the approach adopted in the various technological fields (i.e.: medical, avionics). A survey of actual standards and the proposition of their potential update, together with an activity to demonstrate the relevance of methods, was performed as propedeutic activity.
An additional study was devoted to produce a risk assessment model based on a statistical 'sources' and 'victims' approach where sources of EM radiation installed outside the vehicle and constituted by communications equipment were identified, and their potential effect on 'victim' circuitry was considered.
The previously described activities were performed according to the guidelines of eight Work Packages identified in the Project Technical Annex I.
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