Development Tool Chain for Connected and Automated Driving Functions

Abstract

The ongoing standardization of vehicle-to-x (V2X) communication via ITS-G5 as well as the high market penetration of cellular communication in vehicles provides potentials to increase safety, efficiency and comfort of road transport. First advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that utilize information provided via V2X are already available in production vehicles. In the first instance these systems inform or warn the driver but do not intervene in the vehicle control. On the other side, concepts for connected highly automated functions have been developed in research projects, which however demand high integrity of the information used as well as valid test and sign-off methods. As vehicle functions are increasingly connected with infrastructure elements, these interconnections need to be implemented in the development tool chain. For this reason a holistic development tool chain is being developed at RWTH Aachen University bringing together simulation, test track and field operational tests while taking communication and infrastructure components involved into account.
At Aldenhoven Testing Center the CERM test environment that has been built up by a consortium of RWTH Aachen University institutes already provides the necessary infrastructure for testing and assessing automated and connected driving functions. The test set-up includes an urban intersection with dummy buildings, connected traffic lights, a reference sensor system and a communication environment comprising ITS-G5 and LTE communication. All components are interconnected by means of a network infrastructure and a software framework based on robot operating system (ROS) that allows to flexibly integrating new functions that use existing sensors and actuators. This integrated test environment extends the physical elements (roads, buildings etc.) by an informational layer.
The paper gives an overview of the components of the development tool chain and provides detailed information about ongoing work and future research activities related to the controlled field test environment CERM and the test field Düsseldorf, which is co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure in the research project KoMoD. This includes the requirements to the test environment with regards to design of track elements as well as to IT infrastructure. Also, use cases and connected and automated driving functions that interact with this test environment are presented and discussed. Finally, the paper closes with an outlook on future activities and research needs.