Hardware-In-the-Loop for Connected Automated Vehicles Testing in Real Traffic

We present a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation setup for repeatable testing of Connected Automated Vehicles (CAVs) in dynamic, real-world scenarios. Our goal is to test control and planning algorithms and their distributed implementation on the vehicle hardware and, possibly, in the cloud. The HIL setup combines PreScan for perception sensors, road topography, and signalized intersections; Vissim for traffic micro-simulation; ETAS DESK-LABCAR/a dynamometer for vehicle and powertrain dynamics; and on-board electronic control units for CAV real time control. Models of traffic and signalized intersections are driven by real-world measurements. To demonstrate this HIL simulation setup, we test a Model Predictive Control approach for maximizing energy efficiency of CAVs in urban environments.