A uniform object/process model for autonomous vehicle component communication

A uniform object/process model and a corresponding communication protocol between asynchronous software components in an autonomous vehicle are presented. The object holds state information and reacts to stimuli from other components. The process performs the input, output, and data manipulation tasks of the module. Components interact via a cuing mechanism and through shared request functions for data, sensor, and effector resources. The system includes blackboards and a resource manager as an intermediary between components. A testbed, the generic vehicle autonomy system, implements the model. The utility of the testbed includes the ability to experiment with differing sensor and vehicle models and the ease of integration of separately developed autonomous vehicle software components