Automotive Test Bed

The automotive test bed provides the infrastructure for testing the latest 5G functionalities in a real traffic environment. With the properties it offers, the 5G mobile communications standard is the ideal basis for connecting vehicles and traffic infrastructure, where flexible and fast, real-time capable data transmission is key. Thus, 5G paves the way for optimized traffic concepts that enable vehicles to communicate independently with their environment, recognize dangerous situations and be intelligently integrated into the traffic flow.

In the automotive test bed, various mobility applications can be tested in realistic conditions using the latest 5G mobile technology.

Connected car scenarios

When cars are connected to the Internet, they can be equipped with a whole host of additional functions. Measuring packet loss rates and other performance characteristics directly in the context of the application provides a way to test service quality and user experience.

Automated driving

Evaluating the quality of data connections between the vehicle and the network and between vehicles themselves in real road traffic conditions is a key aspect of developing use cases for automated driving. The quality indicators recorded in the automotive test bed can be used in the development of applications for remote driving or platooning (connecting trucks in a convoy).

Machine learning approaches

Exploring machine learning approaches for predicting and improving reception quality makes it possible to improve the security and reliability of vehicle communication and positioning, e.g. for early accident detection.

High-throughput scenarios

Testing the use of special transmission methods for temporary, high data throughput provides insight into how such “data showers” can be used for vehicle updates or other applications.

Other mobility scenarios: remote drones (example)

Remote drones can be deployed for monitoring and optimizing traffic. Testing in this field is required to determine the extent to which the mobile communications infrastructure can be improved to enable drones to fly beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) under the safest conditions.

The test bed is available for companies, research institutions and universities to use, with Fraunhofer IIS providing consulting and testing services based on its expertise in communications technology and 5G.

Features of the automotive test bed

Located on the southern outskirts of Rosenheim, the facility features a 15 square kilometer test area, covered by a closed 5G network supported by multiple base stations.

Traffic infrastructure

• Heterogeneous traffic network: A8 highway, section of the B15 main road, rural and urban roads and a section of railway
• Measuring vehicle with high-quality equipment
• Selected test routes available on the simulation platform “C-V2XSim“

5G communications infrastructure

• Closed 5G network with multiple antenna sites
• 4G/5G connectivity including Cellular V2X (C-V2X)
• Equipment for local multi-access edge computing (MEC)
• Extensive network monitoring options
• Independent test SIM cards available for simultaneous operation of several modems
• Option of roaming on other networks

If you wish to use it to test your applications, we would be happy to help you start planning and preparing your test scenarios and can draw up a bespoke proposal for test bed use.

Various network configurations are also available for your test scenarios. To give you an idea of the measurements that are possible in our test bed, we have compiled OTA measurement data from different runs:

5G – for applications with real-time requirements

• Frequency: Band n78 with 20 MHz bandwidth (3520 MHz - 3540 MHz, TDD)
• Data rate: 235 Mbit/s downlink and 21 Mbit/s uplink

LTE only – for comparative tests with 5G

• Frequency: Band 38 with 5 MHz bandwidth (2,574.5 MHz - 2,579.5 MHz, TDD)
• Data rate: 21 Mbit/s downlink and 3 Mbit/s uplink

Extended 5G functions – for high-speed tests

• Simultaneous 5G NSA and SA operation
• Frequency: Band n78 with 100 MHz bandwidth (3700 MHz - 3800 MHz, TDD)
• Data rate: 1770 Mbit/s downlink and 286 Mbit/s uplink