Inquiry about Autopilot Functionality and Communication with Traffic Signals in CARLA Simulator

[CJW-MAPU]

Hello everyone,

I'm currently exploring the capabilities of the CARLA Simulator for simulating Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) or Cooperative ITS (C-ITS) environments and generating relevant data. While studying the CARLA Simulator, I encountered some questions, and I'd appreciate any insights you might offer.

Q1: CARLA Simulator includes an Autopilot feature. When executing the vehicle.set_autopilot(True) code, it appears that the Autopilot engages, allowing the vehicle to make decisions such as stopping and starting based on perceived signals. I'm curious about the process involved. Specifically, does communication occur between the traffic signals and vehicles, or does CARLA rely on sensors to detect signals? Alternatively, is there a hardcoded process in CARLA where signals blink, triggering the vehicle to stop and start?

Q1-1: Assuming there's communication between vehicles and traffic signals in response to Q1, what protocol does this data exchange follow, and what format does this data take?

Q1-2: If, as per Q1, CARLA uses camera sensors or a hardcoded process to detect signals and trigger vehicle actions, would it be feasible to develop transmission and reception modules such as ITS-G5 or cellular modules to transmit signal information to vehicles? Could this information then be utilized to implement autopilot functionality?

Looking forward to your insights and expertise on this matter.