Developing an Open-Source Multi-Agent Simulation Environment for Connected Autonomous Vehicles

This document contains an overview of the software infrastructure developed under the SAFER-SIM project “Developing an Open Source Multi-Agent Simulation Environment for Connected Autonomous Vehicles”. The authors provide a description of the four foundational simulation elements – agent dynamics, sensing, communication, and virtual worlds – that anchor Synchrono, a simulation platform for connected and autonomous agents. Synchrono is built around a “server-paradigm”, where two specialized servers are in charge of maintaining time, space, and communication coherence. The first server, called the Synchrono Dynamics Server, maintains coherence in space and time for all agents participating in a scenario. This would enable the dynamics of a collection of Synchrono clients to advance their evolution in time in a coherent fashion. Moreover, for sensing purposes, the clients will be in a position to sense each other, owing to the space coherence attribute of a scenario enabled by the dynamics server. The Synchrono Communication Server establishes a virtualization layer that provides a “communication space” in which messages are sent and received in a time coherent fashion. Synchrono is demonstrated in conjunction with a 30-vehicle simulation that builds off a busy Madison intersection between University Avenue and Park Street. The simulated scenario touches on several aspects of Synchrono, such as vehicle dynamics simulation, agent communication, sensor simulation, and synthetic virtual worlds.

• Dataset URL:
  https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/WF4ZO5
• Record URL:
  http://safersim.nads-sc.uiowa.edu/final_reports/UW%201%20Y2%20Final%20Report.pdf
• 
• Dataset URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/42472
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/42268
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program. Supporting datasets available at: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/WF4ZO5; https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/42472
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Wisconsin, Madison

  Department of Mechanical Engineering
  Madison, WI  United States 

  Safety Research Using Simulation University Transportation Center (SaferSim)

  University of Iowa
  Iowa City, IA  United States  52242

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Negrut, Dan
  • 0000-0003-1565-2784
  • Serban, Radu
  • 0000-0002-4219-905X
  • Elmquist, Asher
  • 0000-0002-0142-1865
• Publication Date: 2019-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Glossary; Photos; References;
• Pagination: 34p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Connected vehicles; Multi-agent systems; Simulation; Software; Vehicle dynamics; Virtual reality
• Geographic Terms: Madison (Wisconsin)
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01712411
• Record Type: Publication
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747131
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 24 2019 10:35PM