October 25, 2021
NI and SEA have announced that the SEA-NI V2X Bench Tester and SEA-NI V2X Sniffer have won OmniAir Qualified Test Equipment (OQTE) certification. These products are the first modular solution for testing a cell-based vehicle stand to everything (C-V2X) and the first combined sniffer C-V2X and DSRC to receive this certificate.
With the large-scale deployment of 5G in the last year, more investment has been made in C-V2X technology to improve safety and efficiency of vehicles and autonomous systems. As cell technology standards continue to evolve rapidly, OEMs and suppliers require more flexibility to adapt quickly to the latest technologies.
As a PXI-based test system, the NI-SEA V2X Bench Tester solution provides improved modularity for V2X test systems that can be easily extended in chain hardware testing (HIL) or other applications. This software-defined architecture can be integrated into existing test systems, allowing greater flexibility and scaling. With it, engineers can test earlier in the design cycle to validate functionality and make changes without having to reinvest in new hardware. SEA-NI V2X Sniffer improves adaptability by capturing and monitoring both V2X and field information for key regional protocol standards.
“Advances in cellular technology allow critical steps for connected and intelligent mobility,” said Ritu Favre, EVP and GM at NI’s Semiconductor and Electronics; Aerospace, defense and government; and transport business units. “By using cellular technology to share data and communicate between vehicles, C-V2X technology significantly improves the car safety through improved decision-making for both humans and autonomous systems. The SEA-NI C-V2X test systems are designed to help OEM manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers validate and market this important technology more quickly, with confidence that it meets the latest safety and technological standards. We are excited to work closely with the OmniAir Consortium to achieve this shared goal and accelerate the industry’s path to Vision Zero. ”
The capabilities of the SEA-NI V2X solutions include:
• Desktop tester SEA-NI V2X: Combines software from SEA GmbH with NI PXI and USRP software defined radio (SDR) hardware for transmitting and receiving real signals to radio frequency (RF) and channels of the C-V2X Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) controllers. By articulating the C-V2X and GNSS signals to the C-V2X controller, the C-V2X solution can simulate real signals such as an emergency stop warning or four-way stop to help engineers characterize the operation of the device in the lab. The solution offers configurations for compliance testing, open loop testing, closed loop testing and HIL testing.
• SEA-NI V2X Sniffer: The first mobile system of its kind is based on the hardware of the NI USRP SDR. It supports information capture based on various V2X standards. The solution provides advanced monitoring and decoding of C-V2X and DSRC signals and messages, in addition to unique online monitoring of RF quality and behavior.
“Very dynamic communication technologies require deep technological competence and a flexible system concept. We selected the NI modular hardware platform and its SDR-based radio technology together with our modular test software and SEA V2X software modules, which allows us to provide high quality, efficient V2X test solutions for V2X testing and measurement applications. We are honored that the value of our approach has been confirmed by the successful certification of OmniAir. OmniAir’s great work to ensure interoperability is the key to the successful implementation of V2X technology, ”said Dr. Gerd Schmitz, CEO and Co-Founder of SEA
OmniAir Consortium is certified SEA-NI V2X Bench Tester for physical layer validation and SEA-NI V2X Sniffer for physical layer and message protocol compliance validation. OmniAir certification for V2X devices guarantees automotive OEMs; Level 1 providers; manufacturers of devices, modules and chips; and implementation agencies that OmniAir-certified devices meet industry standards and meet minimum performance and interoperability requirements.
“Congratulations to SEA and NI on winning OmniAir qualification status for two V2X test systems,” said Jason Conley, CEO of the OmniAir Consortium. “OQTE allows testing and certification of potentially life-saving V2X devices.”