Using the miniSim

Launching the miniSim

To start the MiniSim application, double-click on the yellow “UTTC MiniSim v1.x.x” icon.

The MiniSim software will load, but to use it, you may need to use the Alt+Tab key combination to select NADS MiniSim Frontend GUI if it is hidden behind other windows. Drag the frontend GUI to the operator display. When launched in the future, the MiniSim GUI will appear in the operator display.

NOTE: Another method to move any window to the operator display is to use Alt+Tab to select the window you want to move, then Alt+Space to show the window properties menu, then m to select ‘move’, then hold down the Right Arrow key, and the selected window will move to the right, and in about 10 seconds should be visible on the operator display.

Running a scenario

There is a pull down list on the GUI for selecting the scenario. It is disabled during the start up.

Choose the desired scenario from the list.
The Start Drive button will be enabled by then; click it to start the scenario. It may take a minute to load the scenario.
The operator stops the drive by clicking on the Stop Drive button on the GUI. The Stop Drive button replaces the Start Drive button as soon as the drive is started.
To quit the MiniSim, stop the drive first, and then click “Quit” once it is enabled. This will terminate all the processes of the MiniSim cleanly.
Scenario files end in *.scn and are located in the C:\MiniSim_v1.8.xx\data directory.

Importing a scenario

Click the Import button
Navigate to where the scenario file (*.scn) is located, such as a thumb drive, and select it.
The scenario file will be copied to the proper locations in the MiniSim folder tree, and necessary additional files will be created automatically. The imported scenario will now appear in the pull down list and ready to be started.
When the system imports a scenario, it copies the *.scn file to the C:\MiniSim_v1.8.xx\data directory. The system also creates an *.eif file of the same name in the C:\MiniSim_v1.8.xx\data\RCM directory. The files in the RCM directory are the ones that appear on the drop down Current Scenario menu. You may ‘hide’ scenarios by placing the *.efi files in a folder in the RCM directory.

Delete a scenario

To delete a Scenario, choose the scenario you want to delete in the pull-down menu and click the Delete button.

Settings button

There are several system behavior settings available. Click on the Settings button.

Screensaver

If the Enable Screen Save option is checked, when the MiniSim stays in the stopped mode for a prolonged period of time, the screen saver mode will start automatically, with the visuals showing a chase view and replaying a pre-recorded drive. As soon as the “Start Drive” button in the GUI is clicked, the screen saver mode will stop. The Windows desktop screen saver on the visuals computer is automatically disabled when the MiniSim visuals is running.

If a screensaver file does not exist for your visual database, or you just created a new database, use the following procedure to create a screensaver file:

Data Collection Mode and

The MiniSim data acquisition system (DAQ) runs every time a scenario is run. However, when the MiniSim is placed in Data Collection Mode, the operator must select the Experiment Name and Test Subject ID from a list you create. The Experiment and Test Subject ID selected then restricts the allowable scenarios that can be run according to a matrix defined by the user – ensuring that the data collection conforms to your experimental design. In addition, you may enter notes or comments about a particular test subject or drive and these comments are saved for future reference, Figure 23. You may also manually enter The Experiment and Test Subject ID at runtime.

Every time a scenario is run on the MiniSim a data collection (*.daq) file is created. DAQ files are located in the C:\DAQ folder. Checking the Data Collection Mode box simply changes how the data collection interface works.

With the box un-checked:

When the Data Collection Mode is un-checked, all DAQ files are saved in the C:\DAQ\Texpr\Tsub folder.
TExpr stand for ‘Test Experiment’, and Tsub stands for ‘Test Subject’

With the box checked:

When the Data Collection Mode is checked, the DAQ button is used to select the experiment and scenario before starting the simulation.
The two pull-down menus for the Experiment and Participant are used to select correct participant ID.
The participant ID chosen restricts the available scenarios to those specified in your experimental design
You create the experimental design using the ExperimentConfig.txt file located in the C:\NadsMiniSim_v1.8.x\Data\Rcm_data folder. A sample file is shown below. The first column is the experiment name, the second column is the test subject name, and the third column is a comma-separated list of the allowable scenarios for that participant. Note the use of the ‘Ops’ Experiment to allow use of the calibration and verification scenarios only to the operator.
When in DAQ mode, the operator may enter notes about the participant or drive, and these are recorded in a text file located in the C:\DAQ\Texpr\Tsub folder. The construction of the filename is as follows:
Scenarioname_timedatestamp_notes.txt

The MiniSim can also be launched from a DOS prompt. This command line options to do this include the option to specify exactly where each DAQ file is to be located. This covered in a later section.

Show Report After Drive

When this box is checked, and the scenario is properly authored, the MiniSim will display measures in a pop-up window immediately after the completion of a drive. The same measures are recorded in a text file located in the C:\DAQ\Texpr\Tsub folder. The construction of the filename is as follows: Scenarioname_timedatestamp_report.txt

If this box is not checked, the MiniSim will still calculate measures, and record them in the text file, but not display them in the pop-up window.

The current list of measures that are calculated are as follows:

Collision Count Lane Departure Count Maximum Speed Lane Departure Percentage Minimum Speed Speeding Count Average Speed Speeding Percentage Standard Deviation of Speed Average Headway Standard Deviation of Lane Position

The scenario must be set up so that the measures will be calculated. There are two variables that must be initialized in the scenario and incremented to define the ‘events’ in the following way. Note all must be set to type short.

At the start of a drive, use a road-pad trigger to set SCC_EventStatus =0 and SCC_EventNumber = 0.
At the start of the first event, set SCC_EventStatus = 1 and SCC_EventNumber = 1
At the end of the first event, set SCC_EventStatus = 0.
At the start of the second event, set SCC_EventStatus = 1 and SCC_EventNumber = 2.
At the end of the second event, set SCC_EventStatus = 0.
Continue in the pattern, and at the end of the final event, set set SCC_EventStatus = 0.

The report format is as follows. Note that the results in the first line are for the total drive starting with the first event and ending with the last event. Only four events were defined for the example below.

System

The system button brings up a window that shows the status of the MiniSim’s realtime subsystems. This is used primarily for troubleshooting.

Replay button

The replay mode provides a method to document consistency of data across multiple simulators, an important consideration for multi-site data collections, for example. A playback (or driver input file) is recorded, and then can be played back on multiple simulators and the data compared. The driver input file is specific to the road network and scenario being driven. The Runtime Measures Evaluation, described above, offers a quick and easy method to compare and document performance across simulators.

To record a playback file, click on the Reply button. Check the SavePlayback button, and click OK.

Now, select the scenario you want to drive and click the Start Drive button.

When you are done driving, there will be a drive (*.drv) file located in the C:\NadsMiniSim_v1.8.x\bin folder. It will be the same name as the scenario selected; the example above, the drive file will be Validation1.drv.

To playback this file, click on the Replay button and check the Playback box, and click OK. Now, select the scenario you want to playback and click the Start Drive button.

Note that it is beneficial to create a scenario that will consistently end at the right location – this is done by the use of a roadpad trigger with the action set to ‘Terminate Simulation’. This way, if the system is unattended, the simulation will stop.