Expanded simulation capabilities advance driver monitoring

dSPACE is enhancing its Aurelion software platform for sensor simulation and 3D visualization with a solution for driver monitoring, addressing the growing demands for the development and validation of driver monitoring systems (DMS).

The solution improves Aurelion’s ability to simulate the driver inside the vehicle as well as to realistically simulate the infrared (IR) camera. This development is driven by increasing requirements, such as those set by Euro NCAP and the EU General Safety Regulation (GSR).

The wide variety of human appearances and behaviors, as well as the complexity of possible interactions, make it virtually impossible to conduct classic deterministic test coverage using real test subjects. Aurelion driver monitoring therefore relies on simulation-based approaches that replicate real sensor data while enabling reproducible tests. The solution combines animated 3D driver models with a physics-based infrared camera simulation. This enables typical DMS applications – such as the detection of gaze direction, attention, or fatigue – to be analyzed under controlled and variable conditions. The simulation accounts for various camera and driver configurations, driving scenarios and environmental and lighting conditions, as well as supporting common near-infrared sensor concepts.

Aurelion driver monitoring is integrated into the existing dSPACE tool chain and supports end-to-end workflows, from scenario creation to ECU validation. The solution can be used in SIL and HIL environments and enables the combination of sensor data, restbus signals and ground-truth information for comprehensive testing.

“Initial practical applications show that simulated infrared image data can be successfully fed into and processed by commercial DMS algorithms. With Aurelion driver monitoring, we offer a solution for the early, automatable and reproducible validation of driver monitoring systems,” explained Caius Seiger, product manager at dSPACE.