Autonomous Vehicle Simulation Containers for Reproducible Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for testing autonomous vehicle systems are limited by the need for extensive live testing on public roadways, which is constrained by the availability of vehicles and environments, and struggles to create controlled and reproducible scenarios for validating control systems and sensor performance.
Innovation Solution
A digital simulation environment is provided, allowing users to test autonomous vehicle systems and components through a container-based architecture, where users can parameterize various aspects such as sensor placement, control programming, and environmental conditions, enabling simulations of scenarios like urban roadways and highways without requiring a full autonomous vehicle system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If extensive live testing on public roadways is conducted, then system reliability is improved, but testing efficiency and productivity deteriorate due to limited availability of vehicles, roadways, and environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of autonomous vehicles, roadways, and environmental conditions through a digital simulation environment. These virtual replicas enable unlimited testing scenarios without requiring physical vehicles or public roadways, thus maintaining system reliability validation while dramatically improving testing productivity and efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions testing from the physical dimension to the digital dimension by implementing a virtual simulation environment. This dimensional shift allows simultaneous execution of multiple test scenarios, parameter variations, and environmental conditions that would be impossible in the physical world, resolving the contradiction between reliability validation and testing efficiency
2Measurement precision
If controlled and reproducible testing scenarios are created, then measurement precision and validation accuracy are improved, but system complexity increases due to the need to control and reproduce specific environmental variables
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables precise control and reproduction of environmental parameters (weather conditions, traffic patterns, road conditions) through digital simulation. By manipulating parameters in the virtual environment rather than physical constraints, the system achieves high validation accuracy while avoiding the mechanical complexity of physical control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical/mechanical testing infrastructure with digital simulation systems. Instead of physically controlling and reproducing environmental conditions through complex mechanical means, the system uses software-based parameter control, significantly reducing system complexity while maintaining or improving measurement precision
Data Source
AI summary
Performing an electronic simulation of an autonomous vehicle uses container instances which further provide for execution over a distributed computing system. Accordingly, there are created a simulation engine container instance and one or more system under test (SUT) container instances, the containers further configured to receive values of a set of parameters. The simulation engine container instance is connected to the one or more system under test instance containers. A set of parameter values for the set of parameters is received to be used by upon simulation engine container instance execution, and the results of the executed simulation are subsequently output. The method is then repeated using the same containers but different received set of parameters' values.