Software Framework for Testing of Automated Driving Systems in a Dynamic Traffic Environment

Virtual testing of automated driving systems (ADS) has become an essential part of testing procedures for all automation levels. As ADS from automation level 3 and up are very complex, virtual testing for such systems is inevitable. The complexity of these levels lies in the modelling and calculation demand for the virtual environment which consists of roads, traffic, static and dynamic objects as well as the modelling of the car itself. For safety and performance analyses of ADS, the most important part is the modelling and consideration of road traffic participants. There is multiple traffic flow simulation software (TFSS) which are used to reproduce realistic traffic behavior and are integrated directly or over interfaces with vehicle simulation software (VSS). For these software environments, the possibility to manipulate traffic participants in a defined manner e.g. in the vicinity of the vehicle under test or implementing defined driver models for traffic vehicles is beneficial. In this paper, we present a software framework based on the external driver model interface provided by Vissim. This framework makes it possible to easily manipulate traffic participants for testing purposes of ADS.