NavCert supported the success of Volvo to get first eCall type approval for the V60.
In July 2018 the first built-in eCall device was type approved for a European car manufacturer after the European eCall regulation came into effect in April 2015. The law requires that all passenger cars (M1) and light van types (N1) sold type approved after 31 of April 2018 in the EU have to be equipped with a standard emergency system supporting the harmonized pan-European eCall service. The Swedish car manufacturer VOLVO is the first to equip their vehicles with such a certified emergency system. The eCall device is manufactured by ACTIA Nordic in Sweden and is now standard equipment of the new Volvo V60 model.
ACTIA Nordic used the reliable services of NavCert to achieve type approval in a short period of time minimizing risks of failure for the GNSS specific testing according to delegated regulation 2017/79 annex 6.
NavCert evaluated three receivers if they provide data in the NMEA-0183 protocol format and the position information in the WGS-84 coordinate system. The accuracy was determined as required in the following scenarios:
• Static
• Dynamic “open sky”
• Dynamic “shadow areas, areas of intermittent reception of navigation signals and urban canyons”
The measurement took place in all scenarios with a combination of Galileo, GPS and EGNOS signals followed by only Galileo as well as only GPS signals. Subsequently, the times for a cold start and a re-acquisition of the signals were determined. Finally, the sensitivity of the receiver was determined after cold start, during operation and during re-acquisition.
General Information about NavCert
NavCert operates a GNSS laboratory in Munich. The staff is experienced in all aspects of GNSS and active in all areas including the European Electronic Tolling Service EETS. They identified issues in the Annex 6 of the Delegated Regulation 79/2017 and provided this input to the GSA completing activities of JRC in ISPRA.
NavCert’s engineers examine in close cooperation with the customer the capabilities and limitations of IVS functionality according to DR 2017/79. Based on their experience they pinpoint in many cases to the cause of the issue based on the identified abnormal behavior of the IVS.
After successful pretesting the final type approval typically runs smoothly without any issue in a short period of time.