Autonomous Vehicle Scenario Simulation With User-Defined Agent Behaviors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing simulation environments for autonomous vehicles lack the ability to effectively replicate real-world scenarios, particularly in terms of actor behavior, leading to inefficiencies and reduced confidence in test outcomes.

Innovation Solution

A computer system is employed to generate scenarios for autonomous vehicle testing, featuring a rendering component, parameter generator, expression manager, and scenario generator, allowing user-defined parameters and expressions to control agent behavior, ensuring realistic and varied simulations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If physical world testing is used to test autonomous vehicle behavior, then test reliability is improved, but testing cost and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetest reliabilityVSAvoidtesting time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates virtual copies of real-world driving scenarios through simulation environments. These simulations replicate road conditions, weather, traffic patterns, and agent behaviors without requiring physical travel, thereby maintaining test reliability while dramatically reducing time consumption compared to actual physical testing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows dynamic adjustment of simulation parameters such as weather conditions, time of day, traffic density, and agent behaviors. This enables comprehensive testing of multiple scenarios without physically traveling to each condition, resolving the contradiction between reliable testing and time efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If simulation environments are used to test autonomous vehicle behavior, then testing efficiency is improved, but scenario realism decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetesting efficiencyVSAvoidscenario realism

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The simulation environment dynamically adjusts parameters including weather conditions, lighting, traffic patterns, and agent behaviors to match real-world scenarios. This allows the system to maintain high realism while achieving efficient testing through virtual replication rather than physical travel

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where sensor data from simulated environments is continuously refined to improve realism. The simulation can adapt to real-world observations and update its models, ensuring that virtual scenarios remain accurate representations of real driving conditions while maintaining testing efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If predefined scenarios are used in simulation, then testing coverage is improved, but scenario variety decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetesting coverageVSAvoidscenario variety

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from static predefined scenarios to dynamic scenario generation. The simulation environment can adaptively create new scenarios based on real-world data, allowing unlimited scenario variety while maintaining comprehensive testing coverage through programmable agent behaviors and environmental conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments testing into modular components where different agents, road conditions, weather patterns, and traffic scenarios can be independently configured and combined. This modular approach enables comprehensive testing coverage through systematic combination of elements while generating unlimited scenario variety through creative arrangement

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20250328701A1Generating simulation environments for testing autonomous vehicle behaviour

Publication Date: 2025.10.23 FIVE AI LTD

AI summary

A computer system for generating a scenario to be run in a simulation environment for testing the behaviour of an autonomous vehicle, the computer system comprising: a rendering component configured to: generate display data for causing a display to render a graphical user interface comprising an image of a driving environment and one or more agents within the driving environment; a parameter generator configured to generate in memory a user-defined parameter set responsive to user input defining the parameter set; and an expression manager configured to store in memory a user-defined expression set, responsive to user input defining the expression set, wherein each expression of the expression set is a user-defined function of one or more parameters of the parameter set; and a scenario generator configured to record the scenario in a scenario database; wherein the graphical user interface is configured to provide multiple agent fields for controlling the behaviour of the one or more agents when the scenario is run in a simulation environment, wherein each agent field is modifiable to associate therewith either a parameter of the user-defined parameter set or an expression of the user-defined expression set; and wherein the recorded scenario comprises the driving environment, the one or more agents, the user-defined parameter set, the user-defined expression set, and any user-defined associations between (i) the multiple agent fields and the user-defined parameter set and (ii) the multiple agent fields and the user-defined expression set, wherein each parameter associated with an agent field is controllable to directly modify an agent behaviour, and each parameter that is included in expression associated with an agent field is controllable to indirectly modify an agent behaviour.