The Importance of Co-Simulation in ADS Validation
Modern Automated Driving Systems (ADS) operate within a dynamic, interconnected environment. To accurately simulate these complexities, it is increasingly essential to orchestrate multiple simulation tools in parallel—a method known as co-simulation.
With ScenRun, ReplicaR enables engineers to connect with external simulation platforms such as Carla and dSPACE, offering unmatched flexibility and depth for testing and validating ADS functionalities. From real-time visual validation to long-duration endurance runs, co-simulation enhances the realism, scalability, and interoperability of your virtual testing environment.
Running Scenarios in Carla
The open-source simulation platform Carla is widely used for realistic, sensor-rich validation. With ReplicaR’s Carla integration, you can:
- Export Complete Scenarios: ReplicaR allows export of OSI-based scenario packages—including OpenDRIVE® maps and traffic configuration files—ready for execution in Carla.
- Visual and Sensor Fidelity: Once deployed via the AAI Carla desktop client, scenarios leverage Carla’s rich visualization and sensor emulation capabilities to test perception, control, and interaction behavior.
- Open-Source Co-Simulation Support: This open structure enables integration with external perception stacks, sensor models, and evaluation tools—supporting collaborative workflows across engineering teams.
Carla becomes an ideal co-simulation partner when the goal is to visualize perception behavior, interact with real-time sensor data, or validate complex intersections and vulnerable road user scenarios.
Executing Endurance Runs in dSPACE
For systems that must operate over long periods and adapt to shifting conditions, dSPACE simulation is the ideal environment for long-duration, hardware-oriented co-simulation.
With ReplicaR’s integration:
- Intelligent Traffic Meets Endurance: AAI’s intelligent traffic module, configured in ReplicaR, feeds realistic traffic into dSPACE scenarios via FMI (Functional Mock-Up Interface) and OpenDRIVE® standards.
- Extended Runs: You can simulate hours—or even days—of system behavior to observe drift, failures, or stress patterns in control logic and path planning.
- System Compatibility: ReplicaR scenarios can be seamlessly fed into dSPACE’s model-based toolchain, offering traceable, automotive-grade validation for safety-critical use cases.
This makes dSPACE ideal for XiL testing environments, where digital and physical components interact—e.g., validating ECUs or testing sensor fusion modules under extended runtime.
Conclusion
Whether it’s executing rich sensor simulations in Carla or validating endurance behavior in dSPACE, ScenRun connects the ReplicaR toolchain to the broader simulation ecosystem. These integrations are not mere add-ons—they are strategic enablers of realism, flexibility, and test depth in the world of virtual validation.