Simulator setup according to use case scenarios - A human-oriented method for virtual development

This contribution presents a method for a virtual development process using a driving simulator. Driving simulators are widely used as development tools in the automotive industry. Amongst others the development of advanced driver assistance systems or the gain of detailed data for the energy efficiency of different powertrain concepts based on driving data are possible fields of application. Here the different needs according to the goal of the intended simulator studies and the thereby required stimuli of the simulator for real driver behavior in the virtual environment are discussed. Afterwards the dynamic driving simulator used at the University of Duisburg-Essen and its various fields of usage are shown with example studies. As examples studies the interaction with a Hardware-in-the-Loop test bed for an electric powertrain and a study on the driver´s intention identification to enhance the comfort performance of a modern driver assistance system are used. For both of the studies the driver and its interactions with the respective vehicular system are set as the point of interest. The used simulator setup is then judged upon the degree of immersion which is reached due to different sensory channels that are addressed in the setup.