V2XSim: A V2X Simulator for Connected and Automated Vehicle Environment Simulation

In this work we propose a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) simulator, called V2XSim, for connected vehicle (CV) environment simulation. As this field is rather new, many researchers focusing on CV-based research do not have access to real-world test-beds to validate their methodologies. As such, there is a timely need for simulation platforms that can incorporate precise vehicle mechanics, accurate physics of vehicle movement, and communications in the transportation network. Accordingly, this paper provides an integrated V2X simulation platform, built with the Gazebo robot simulation engine. The simulated world is constructed with two types of models, namely dynamic and static models. we provide a detailed communication architecture to simulate the vehicle communication process. In this architecture, a closed-loop control module is built to pass control commands and control vehicle models without human intervention. We also provide multiple APIs for users to simplify the vehicle control process and make the simulator easy to use.