Construction of HiLS environment and issues organization corresponding toward certification acquisition of collision avoidance system of autonomous ship

Abstract

This study developed an evaluation and validation environment for the safety verification of autonomous vessel avoidance systems, considering cost-effectiveness and reliability improvements in system development. The environment comprises a Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation (HiLS) system and a scenario generation and evaluation system. Simulations using diverse scenarios based on guidelines from classification societies and government agencies were conducted across multiple avoidance systems, enabling comparison and assessment of avoidance performance and safety indicators. Simulation logs are stored in IEC61162-450 format, allowing for extensible analysis through the addition of evaluation metrics and re-calculation. However, real-time validation within the HiLS environment involving actual hardware was found to be time-consuming due to equipment constraints, making it challenging to balance scenario coverage and verification efficiency. Future efforts will focus on combining real-time validation with fast-time verification using Software in the Loop Simulation (SiLS) and automated scenario generation during simulation, aiming to improve efficiency while maintaining comprehensive coverage. These advancements are expected to support autonomous vessel certification, international standard compliance, and the realization of a cost-effective validation environment during development.