Collaborative Research: OAC Core: Stochastic Simulation Platform for Assessing Safety Performance of Autonomous Vehicles in Winter Seasons

自动驾驶汽车(AV)的安全性在很大程度上取决于其自动化系统(如感知和决策)在不同物理环境中的泛化能力。尽管目前自动驾驶汽车的商业化已经被证明可以改善交通安全，但冬季恶劣驾驶条件下的自动驾驶汽车安全性能仍然缺乏全面的评估。为了弥补这一研究空白，该项目旨在开发一个随机模拟平台，以检查AVs的效率、可靠性和安全性，以防止在广泛的现场实施中出现代价高昂的错误。研究方法以机器学习和物理原理为基础，提出了一种综合的、混合的方法来模拟交通流中的随机车辆行为。在不利的驾驶条件下，将通过车辆行为的动态建模来评估潜在的AV安全风险。该项目将产生一个开源的基于云的仿真平台，允许公众访问测试车辆自动化系统。通过使用在线机器学习体系结构，模拟模型可以随着时间的推移而改进。研究活动将与一系列教育和推广活动紧密结合，其中包括(I)将先进的计算技术纳入课程，(Ii)通过当地的K-12推广活动和夏令营激发年轻一代对科学和工程的兴趣，以及(Iii)通过圣地亚哥州立大学的人工智能俱乐部扩大代表不足的学生群体对计算的参与，圣地亚哥州立大学是一所西班牙裔服务机构。这一多学科研究项目旨在为建立先进的网络基础设施工具包贡献改进的模拟算法和计算基础知识。该项目的重点是制作一个随机模拟平台，可以评估自动驾驶系统的性能。其动机是开发一种可靠的工具，可以对随机车辆行为进行建模，研究车辆动力学，并预测冬季不利驾驶条件下潜在的AV安全风险。为此，该项目将首先利用微观交通模型的物理原理来规范机器学习过程，以模拟车辆相互作用。其次，通过将交通仿真模型与新的车辆动力学模型相结合，预测混合交通中多车和单车碰撞的概率。然后对车辆的随机运动进行研究，以评估在结冰/积雪路面上的无人机安全性能。第三，这些模型将被集成到一个开放源码软件包中，其中包含全面的文档和多种应用案例。预期的交付成果将是一个基于公共云的平台，该平台易于访问，并能够整合新的数据流以改进模型。在用现场数据验证了模型后，该项目将把模拟与现有的自动驾驶系统连接起来进行测试。该项目可以对其他科学和工程领域产生广泛影响，如物理学支持的人工智能、智能和自主系统，以及其他依赖模拟数据的研究领域。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The safety of an autonomous vehicle (AV) highly depends on the generalization capability of its automation systems (e.g., perception and decision-making) when being deployed in diverse physical environments. Although the current commercialization of AVs has been shown to improve traffic safety, AV safety performance under adverse driving conditions in winter seasons still lacks comprehensive evaluation. To bridge the research gap, this project aims to develop a stochastic simulation platform, which examines the efficiency, reliability, and safety of AVs, to prevent costly mistakes in widespread field implementations. The research methods use a foundation of machine learning and physics principles to formulate an integrated and hybrid approach to model stochastic vehicle behaviors in traffic streams. Potential AV safety risks under adverse driving conditions will be assessed with dynamic modeling of vehicle behavior. The project will produce an open-source and cloud-based simulation platform that allows public access to test vehicle automation systems. The simulation models can be improved over time through the use of an online machine learning architecture. The research activities will be closely integrated with a set of education and outreach activities that include (i) incorporating advanced computational techniques into the curriculum, (ii) sparking the interests of younger generations in science and engineering by local K-12 outreach efforts and summer camps, and (iii) broadening the participation of underrepresented student groups in computing through the artificial intelligence club at San Diego State University, a Hispanic serving institution. This multidisciplinary research project aims at contributing improved algorithms in simulation and fundamental knowledge in computing to building an advanced cyberinfrastructure toolkit. The project focuses on producing a stochastic simulation platform that can evaluate the capabilities of AVs' automated driving systems. The motivation is to produce a reliable tool that can model stochastic vehicle behaviors, study vehicle dynamics, and predict potential AV safety risks under adverse driving conditions in winter. To this end, the project will first leverage the physics principles of a microscopic traffic model to regularize the machine learning process for simulating vehicle interactions. Second, both multi-vehicle and single-vehicle crash probabilities in mixed traffic will be predicted by integrating the traffic simulation model with a new vehicle dynamics model. The stochastic vehicle motions will then be studied to assess AV safety performance on icy/snowy pavement. Third, the models will be integrated into an open-source software package with comprehensive documentation and multiple application cases. The expected deliverable will be a public cloud-based platform that is easy to access and is capable of incorporating new data streams for model improvement. After validating the models with field data, the project will connect the simulations with existing automated driving systems for testing. The project can have broad impacts on other science and engineering fields, such as physics-supported artificial intelligence, smart and autonomous systems, and other research domains that depend on simulated data.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.