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No Bit Lost - High Volume MDF4 Recording in ADAS Development

Bernhard Kockoth 
Advanced Development Lead
ViGEM GmbH 

Highly Automated Driving is based on a growing number of safety-related systems which must be secured with millions of kilometres. During field operational tests most important is the exact raw data from all sensors, notably cameras. High definition sensors allow earlier and better obstacle classification thus safety is improved but data volume grows. The resolution of front-facing camera sensors grew from below one Megapixel to 4k and more. To train deep neural networks the use of raw data is mandatory and performance requirements for data recording grew to over 5 Gigabit/s, per camera. Test drives with advanced vehicles often collect more than 50 Terabytes per day, in one vehicle. Technology that was only available in data centers has been put into an automotive form factor to realize a reliable and secure solution for recording, storing and transfer of valuable data. The container format MDF4.1 is used for best compatibility with popular toolchains. A unique system of ruggedized data storage allows speedy transfers to data centers without long pauses in vehicle testing. Growing capabilities of embedded computing will transform the vehicle into an edge device that works on the collected data before the data is sent to the cloud.