Simulation-based safeguarding and operational domain approval of automated vehicles. Two examples from logistics and combined goods/passenger transport.

Kurzfassung

Automated driving is advancing in both the U.S. and Germany, particularly for public transport, but current test rides in Germany require a safety driver and lack experience with Operational Domain (OD) approval - a key legal requirement under AFGBV (§7 and §8). This creates challenges for authorities responsible for granting OD approval, as scaling autonomous systems to wider areas (like city districts or rural zones) is hindered by the need for manual, real-world testing. To address this, a simulation-based verification approach is proposed, using detailed virtual models of environments (e.g., Open Street Map data, weather, and traffic stats) to evaluate vehicle perception and sensor performance, identifying critical routes or infrastructure needs. Preliminary results, demonstrated using open-source simulation tools like GEMSTAR and SUMO, show applications in two projects: - AUTOGVZ (automated logistics at Bremen's freight village), - IMoGer (mixed freight/passenger transport in Braunschweig). These simulations aim to streamline OD approval by replacing or supplementing costly real-world tests.