Towards Virtual Testing of Perception in the Railway Domain

To achieve higher automation levels in the railway domain (GoA-3/4), especially focusing on branch lines, an automated system must take over responsibilities which are currently allocated to the train driver. While existing automation technologies ensure operational safety at the macroscopic and technical levels, addressing perception at the operational level in open context remains a challenge. This paper describes key aspects of future railway perception components, and identifies challenges that they bring for verification and validation. It is shown how existing technologies may be combined into a holistic framework that finally enables scenario-driven simulative testing of perception components.