A hybrid real and virtual testing framework for V2X applications

With the increasing sophistication of vehicles, more and more (automated) driving functions become available, some of which are based on Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication. While every new developed functionality needs thorough testing, the need is pronounced for V2X applications as these rely on external input by other vehicles and infrastructure, thereby increasing the space of possible test scenarios. Multiple access technologies (e.g., 802.11p or Long Term Evolution (LTE)), interfaces, different interpretations of standards as well as interactions between several entities make it difficult to find and eliminate malfunction of cooperative components. The ranges and boundaries of drive and test scenarios make debugging during test drives in a real traffic environment substantially difficult, since it requires reproducible conditions. To overcome the aforementioned problems, a hybrid real and virtual testing framework for V2X applications is proposed, which allows the coupling of real entities, i.e., traffic lights with Road-Side Unit (RSU), with other connected entities either in hardware or software in order to carry out V2X application tests under controlled conditions.