The need to study the interaction between multiple vehicles, especially for collision avoidance research, prompted the development of a networked version of the UMTRI Driving Simulator. In this version, simulators running on separate computers connected by a network interact to produce the illusion of a single simulation involving multiple vehicles. In producing this version, problems faced included what network and protocol to use, how to co-ordinate the simulators, and how simulators were to track the vehicles of other simulators. Several solutions were considered for each of these problems. Choices were made with an eye towards performance, flexibility, and ease of implementation. The solutions chosen were: (a) 10Base-T Ethernet using AppleTalk protocol, (b) distributed co-ordination, and (c) dead reckoning. The network simulator has been in operation since fall 1995. The simulator has worked well, both on the isolated network in the simulator laboratory and on the office network where there is a great deal of other traffic (where development takes place). This experience validates the choices made. (A)
Samenvatting