Innovative New Software Accelerates ADAS Testing
SENSOR_IG generates realistic, real-time data feeds for sensor models enabling the entire toolchain to be developed in a virtual environment
Hertfordshire, UK, 12th September 2016 ... New sensor testing software called SENSOR_IG, from specialist simulator software company rFpro, can generate realistic data feeds, in real-time, for sensor models of cameras, radar, LiDAR and ultrasound sensors. It enables the entire ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) toolchain to be tested on a driving simulator with a human driver in control, significantly reducing development times and cost.
“When testing sensors used for ADAS on a simulator, the simulation software responsible for sending video images to the human driver must simultaneously send realistic data feeds to the sensor models: you need ‘real’ data, as though from actual sensors,” explained Chris Hoyle, Technical Director of rFpro. “SENSOR_IG generates this data, enabling sensor models and algorithms to be accurately tested. It means much more ADAS development can take place in a virtual environment, which gets you closer to the final solution quicker.
rFpro’s SENSOR_IG software can be used to create multiple simultaneous real-time feeds, each at the correct refresh rate for the sensors being modelled. For example, a stereo pair of 32bit HDR camera data feeds could be running at 25Hz, while a number of 20Hz medium and long range radar data feeds, as well as feeds for short range ultrasound sensors are also modelled around the perimeter of the vehicle.
“Our core business is real-time driver-in-the-loop (DIL) simulation, but what we are seeing at customer sites is that 90% of ADAS testing never gets beyond the offline software-in-the-loop (SIL) stage,” said Hoyle. “A further 9% of testing reaches a more detailed hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test stage, and maybe just 1% of testing reaches the full DIL simulator. SENSOR_IG means that your control systems and ADAS strategies may be tested by human drivers, in controlled conditions, without the need to carry out relatively expensive and time consuming tests involving real cars and real sensors.”
Over the last two years rFpro has seen a steady increase in the use of its software for ADAS testing; SENSOR_IG is the company’s latest step in making that process more effective. Hoyle is keen to distance the product from actual sensor models. “We are not offering sensor models,” he said. “Our customers are providing the sensor models themselves or from third parties. We are not experts in RF propagation or camera hardware, but we are however very good at generating high speed, high bandwidth data feeds from very high quality 3D worlds in real-time.”
About rFpro
rFpro is a specialist software company that has developed driver-in-the-loop simulators for vehicle dynamics applications, offering the fastest video and audio pipelines, an architecture for soft-real-time model execution and an optically correct off-platform vision system optimised for motion profiles suited to ride and handling development. This specialised area of driver-in-the-loop simulation is all about closing the loop through the driver and the vehicle model as quickly as possible while delivering a high quality and immersive environment.
To deliver complete DIL simulators for the engineering development of vehicle dynamics, and the control systems and active safety systems that affect vehicle dynamics, rFpro works in partnership with motion platform providers such as, Ansible and MTS. The company’s products can wrap around vehicle models from all the popular modelling environments, including Dymola, SIMPACK, Simulink, AVL-VSM, CarSim, CarMaker, LMS AMESim, VI-Grade and C/C++.
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