Open AccessSto-CAV: a Distributed Simulation Platform for Connected and Automated Vehicles Running with Heterogeneous Technologies and Devices in the Loop
Author(s) -
Barbara M. Masini,
Mirko Mirabella,
Leonardo Donnini,
Muhammad Ali Umair,
Marco Meucci,
Mauro Aresti,
Jacopo Catani
Publication year - 2025
Publication title -
ieee access
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Magazines
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 2169-3536
DOI - 10.1109/access.2025.3572358
Subject(s) - aerospace , bioengineering , communication, networking and broadcast technologies , components, circuits, devices and systems , computing and processing , engineered materials, dielectrics and plasmas , engineering profession , fields, waves and electromagnetics , general topics for engineers , geoscience , nuclear engineering , photonics and electrooptics , power, energy and industry applications , robotics and control systems , signal processing and analysis , transportation
The development and validation of vehicular applications require extensive testing, often constrained by high costs, logistical challenges, and safety concerns. To address these issues, we introduce Sto-CAV (SimulaTiOn platform for Connected and Automated Vehicles), a novel, flexible, and scalable simulation platform that enables remote access and modular testing for connected and automated vehicle applications. Sto-CAV integrates both virtual and physical components geographically distributed, allowing users to execute simulations without requiring local hardware or software. In addition, Sto-CAV supports heterogeneous vehicle-to-everything (V2X) radio access technologies, including ITS-G5 based on IEEE 802.11p, LTE-V2X and Visible Light Communication (VLC), facilitating the test of beyond 5G vehicular communication scenarios where traditional RF communications meet optical bands. Unlike existing solutions, Sto-CAV emphasizes ease of configuration, remote accessibility, and the integration of heterogeneous communication technologies, thus providing a comprehensive tool for testing vehicular systems, accessible to researchers and developers worldwide. This paper details the design, capabilities, and applications of Sto-CAV, highlighting its potential to advance the testing of innovative vehicle technologies, also when they are geographically distributed, allowing average latencies suitable for quasi-real time applications.