Conditional Breakpoints for Autonomous Driving Debugging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Debugging autonomous driving applications is tedious and impractical due to the generation of large amounts of serial data, requiring users to manually step through each frame to analyze specific frames, especially after events like collisions, making precise timing of breakpoint placement nearly impossible.
Innovation Solution
Implementing conditional breakpoints that trigger based on both a line breakpoint and a satisfaction of a predefined simulation or log data condition, allowing the debugger to pause execution only when both conditions are met, thereby focusing debugging efforts on relevant frames.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a line breakpoint is set in the debugger to pause execution at a specific line of source code, then the user can analyze program parameters and variables, but the debugger will stop at the line breakpoint at every frame of serial data, resulting in tedious and impractical debugging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms a simple line breakpoint into a conditional breakpoint by adding an additional parameter (trigger condition) that must be satisfied. This changes the breakpoint behavior from stopping at every frame to stopping only when both the line number and condition are met, thereby improving debugging efficiency while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakpoint is made dynamic by introducing a condition that is evaluated at runtime. Instead of a static line number check, the system now performs a dynamic evaluation of both the line number and the trigger condition (such as log data content or simulation state), allowing the breakpoint to adaptively stop only when relevant.
2Measurement precision
If the user manually steps through each frame to reach a specific frame of interest, then the user can analyze the frame, but it takes excessive time and makes precise timing of breakpoint placement nearly impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The user sets up the trigger condition in advance (preliminarily) based on knowledge of what frame is of interest (e.g., knowing a collision will occur). The condition is configured beforehand to match the expected state at the target frame, allowing the debugger to automatically stop at the correct frame without manual stepping through all preceding frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback by continuously monitoring the trigger condition during playback. When the condition becomes true (indicating the frame of interest has been reached), the system immediately stops execution and notifies the user, enabling precise frame selection without time-consuming manual navigation.
3Ease of operation
If the debugger stops at every line breakpoint during replay, then the user can examine each frame, but the large amounts of serial data generate repetitive stops that make debugging tedious and impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The breakpoint operation is enhanced by adding a condition parameter that filters when the breakpoint should trigger. This transforms the breakpoint from a simple location marker into a conditional event, allowing the user to maintain convenient single-step playback while automatically skipping irrelevant frames and stopping only at meaningful events.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for debugging an autonomous driving application includes setting a line breakpoint in a line of source code of the application; setting a trigger condition relative to simulation data of a simulator executing the application; running the application by a debugger for debugging the application; and pausing running of the application by the debugger based on the line breakpoint being reached and the trigger condition being hit.