Dynamic Expert System Approach for Requirements Engineering in the Context of the Vehicle Development Process at an OEM

Abstract The development of vehicle systems is a highly complex process in which a large number of requirements and interfaces must be considered and taken into account. Due to various developments in the automotive industry, such as the additional requirements due to electromobility and autonomous driving and the increase in functions and connectivity desired by customers, complexity will continue to increase in the future. This poses challenges for the automotive industry in the development of vehicle systems and especially, the requirements engineering. In this paper, the challenges regarding requirements engineering for vehicle system development were shown and existing approaches to the use of expert systems in this context were examined. This paper presents an approach that integrates expert systems into the development process of vehicle systems at an OEM. The requirements for the vehicle system are mapped in facts and rules. The rules of the proposed expert system are repeatedly reviewed and, if necessary, updated in the development process at defined milestones by the departments from which the requirements originate. In the subsequent application of the proposed expert system, the degree of maturity of the vehicle system is demonstrated. This ensures that the up-to-date requirements are considered and met by the vehicle system. Through the validation of a prototype built using the tool KnowWE, the proposed system demonstrated a potential improvement in the efficiency of the requirements engineering process, while enhancing safety through the consistent application of updated requirements. This highlights its capability to streamline processes, reduce errors, and support reliable compliance with development milestones. Through the presented approach, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the engineering process in the automotive industry and to increase the reliability and safety of the vehicle systems.