Parallel Training: An ACP-Based Training Framework for Iterative Learning in Uncertain Driving Spaces

The traffic environment and driving behaviors are of great complexity and uncertainty in our physical world. Therefore, training in the digital world with low cost and diverse complexities become popular for autonomous driving in recent years. However, the current training methods tend to be limited to static data sets and deterministic models that do not sufficiently take into account the uncertainty and diversity prevalent in real traffic scenarios. These approaches also limit more possibilities for the comprehensive development and optimization of vision systems. In this paper, we develop a parallel training method based on artificial systems, computational experiments, and parallel execution (ACP) for the intelligent optimization and learning of the aforementioned agents in uncertain driving spaces. Parallel training creates a virtual driving space following the instruction of the ACP approach and conducts large-scale rehearsal experiments for possible scenarios. By enhancing the diversity of virtual scenarios, intelligent vehicles are trained to respond and adapt to the diverse uncertainties in the physical real-world driving space. Specifically, parallel training first proposes a standard operating procedure for intelligent driving systems, namely the projection-emergence-convergence-operation (PECO) loop. Digital quadruplets for parallel training, i.e., physical, descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive coaches, are also proposed. With the guidance of parallel training, virtual and real-world driving spaces are set up in parallel and interact frequently. They are closely linked and unified in opposition to each other, ultimately building a parallel driving system that fulfills safety, security, sustainability, sensitivity, service, and smartness (6S).