Autonomous Driving Supported by Simulations

Abstract

Abstract—The automotive industry is largely sensitive to the high quality of the products. This momentum results that huge amount of tests and analyses are required to achieve this goal. The emerged costs and time demand can be decreased by involving computer-based methodologies, like simulations. Simulations imitate the exact characteristics of vehicle parts in fully modeling form. If the whole vehicle stands in the focus of simulations, the system must be supported by highly accurate reality descriptions. The OpenDRIVE standard contains exact descriptors about the road environment (road segments, lanes, lane markings, etc.). Such models can be obtained by surveying and modeling reality. The paper gives an overview of the standard and current implementations in the various automotive simulators. The future perspective awaits massive growth of the importance of the standard.

Abstract—The automotive industry is largely sensitive to the high quality of the products. This momentum results that huge amount of tests and analyses are required to achieve this goal. The emerged costs and time demand can be decreased by involving computer-based methodologies, like simulations. Simulations imitate the exact characteristics of vehicle parts in fully modeling form. If the whole vehicle stands in the focus of simulations, the system must be supported by highly accurate reality descriptions. The OpenDRIVE standard contains exact descriptors about the road environment (road segments, lanes, lane markings, etc.). Such models can be obtained by surveying and modeling reality. The paper gives an overview of the standard and current implementations in the various automotive simulators. The future perspective awaits massive growth of the importance of the standard.