Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA) mobilises ENERGETIC Sensor Data Transfer 

The Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences – Hochschule Karlsruhe (HKA) is one of the largest and most research-intensive Universities of Applied Sciences in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with excellent, application-orientated and practice-ready research and development. HKA’s research landscape is shaped by 6 faculties, 13 research institutes and further transfer institutions with a wide range of disciplines from engineering, computer science, economics and media. The interdisciplinary research covers the key aspects of “Innovative Mobility Concepts”, “Resources and Climate”, “Intelligent Systems” and “Work and Production”. As part of HKA, especially the Institute of Energy Efficient Mobility (IEEM) is involved in the European project ENERGETIC. 

Established in 2012, IEEM focuses on sustainable, connected and safe mobility as well as on system‘s mobility, adaptability regarding cybersecurity and artificial intelligence in the industrial 4.0/5.0 and automotive sectors. One of the five institute directors and HKA-project leader within ENERGETIC is Prof. Dr.-Ing. Reiner Kriesten. He and his team have completed numerous research activities and collaborations, especially on predictive energy management systems for e-vehicles and e-bikes as well as cybersecurity for autonomous vehicles.  

IEEM has built up advanced lab facilities that provide digital and physical test benches, demonstrators and simulators. One project in the field of energy management systems for e-vehicles is the EU-funded VEHICLE project, focused on developing advanced energy storage systems for EVs, optimising energy flows to improve the battery lifespan and reduce total ownership costs. The outcomes will be used and modified to simulate the energy demand of an e-vehicle during various driving cycles within ENERGETIC. 

A further area of specialisation at the IEEM lab is research in the field of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). IEEM lab features simulation test benches to simulate realistic traffic scenarios with the game engine Unity, CARLA and ROS. This virtual test field makes it possible to investigate and analyse sensors, consumer behaviour and the consumption of vehicles depending on numerous traffic scenarios which can be beneficial to ENEREGTIC. An additional approach at IEEM is the verification and validation of ADAS via image manipulation and augmented reality during real test drives.  

IEEM makes also efforts in research on “Next Level”- Main Inspection of ADAS. Within an ongoing cooperation with GTÜ Gesellschaft für Technische Überwachung mbH, IEEM has validated cyber safety and the functional testing of ADAS. Considering “next-level-cars” as electrified autonomous cars with various auxiliary consumers, this research vehicle can be introduced to ENERGETIC and its progress in determining the “next level” first life energy demand during different driving cycles.  

Concerning the research area of cybersecurity, is the completed project SecForCARs. Within this security discipline, IEEM developed an automotive attack taxonomy referenced as best practice by the ENISA (European Union Agency for Cybersecurity) with a characterisation for a detailed and unified attack description in the automotive area as well as an Attack Database. This security expertise can contribute to ensuring secure data transfer and setting up a robust internet of vehicle structure within ENERGETIC. 

Within ENERGETIC, IEEM operates within two pivotal Work Packages, Sensors and Data Collection and Battery Cloud Predictive Maintenance. IEEM is entrusted with developing a prototype Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) to collect and process sensor data, and to propose a data management architecture within the project, focusing on transfer protocol to ensure efficient data transmission within the project. The overall aim is to establish a robust framework capable of handling battery sensor signals effectively, aligning with the diverse requirements of the project partners.  

HKA’s contributions to the project include the delivery of a comprehensive Data Management Architecture. This deliverable proposes a Google Cloud-based architecture to meet the project’s processing and data transfer needs effectively. Regarding Sensor Data Collection, the design of a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) tailored to embedded systems, to achieve time-controlled hardware access. Looking ahead, IEEM is poised to further enhance the project’s progress by advancing the transmission protocol between the HAL and the cloud infrastructure in the ensuing months advancing the project’s goals and innovation in battery management systems.