With its high-fidelity automotive simulation model (ASM) on NVIDIA DRIVE Sim, global automotive supplier dSPACE is helping developers keep virtual self-driving true to the real world. By combining the modularity and openness of the DRIVE Sim simulation software platform with highly accurate vehicle models like dSPACE’s, every minor aspect of an AV can be thoroughly recreated, tested and validated.
The dSPACE ASM vehicle dynamics model simulate elements of the car — suspension, tires, brakes — all the way to the full vehicle powertrain and its interaction with the electronic control units that power actions such as steering, braking and acceleration.
If an autonomous vehicle suddenly brakes on a wet road, there are a range of forces that affect how and where the vehicle stops. It could slide further than intended or fishtail, depending on the weather and road conditions. These possibilities require the ability to simulate dynamics such as friction and yaw, or the way the vehicle moves vertically.
The dSPACE ASM vehicle dynamics model includes these factors, which can then be compared with a real vehicle in the same scenario. It also tests how the same model acts in different simulation environments, ensuring consistency with both on-road driving and virtual fleet testing.
The NVIDIA DRIVE Sim platform taps into the computing horsepower of NVIDIA RTX GPUs to deliver a revolutionary, scalable, cloud-based computing platform, capable of generating billions of qualified miles for autonomous vehicle testing.
It’s open, meaning both users and partners can incorporate their own models in simulation for comprehensive and diverse driving scenarios.
dSPACE chose to integrate its vehicle dynamics ASM with DRIVE Sim due to its ability to scale for a wide range of testing conditions. When running on the NVIDIA DRIVE Constellation platform, it can perform both software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing, which includes the in-vehicle AV computer controlling the vehicle in the simulation process. dSPACE’s broad expertise and long track-record in hardware-in-the-loop simulation make for a seamless implementation of ASM on DRIVE Constellation.
