Using a Mediator to Handle Undesired Feature Interaction of Automated Driving

In state-of-the-art automotive systems, many automated driving features such as adaptive cruise control are usually integrated in various combinations. These combinations may lead to undesired feature interaction, where one such feature creates conditions that interfere with the proper execution of one or more of the other features. In such a situation, the usability of the vehicle or even the safety of humans may become compromised. We propose to improve Systems Engineering for coordinating feature implementations to avoid undesired feature interaction. In particular, we reuse knowledge on addressing a certain recurring problem with a proven (generalized) solution in the form of a so-called Pattern that has been devised in the field of object-oriented Software Engineering. The so-called Mediator Pattern organizes the work of software parts that otherwise would have many interfaces among each other, leading to high coupling. We devise such a Mediator at design-time, so that at runtime known undesired feature interactions can be avoided by the resulting system. A prototypical implementation in a real automotive system and its test demonstrate the feasibility of this approach in the sense, that known feature interactions can be avoided in a systematic way.