scholarly journals Automated Testing of Ultrawideband Positioning for Autonomous Driving

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Benjamin Vedder ◽  
Bo Joel Svensson ◽  
Jonny Vinter ◽  
Magnus Jonsson
Keyword(s):  
Fault Tolerance ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Fault Injection ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Automated Testing ◽  
Test Cases ◽  
Positioning System ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Driving Model

Autonomous vehicles need accurate and dependable positioning, and these systems need to be tested extensively. We have evaluated positioning based on ultrawideband (UWB) ranging with our self-driving model car using a highly automated approach. Random drivable trajectories were generated, while the UWB position was compared against the Real-Time Kinematic Satellite Navigation (RTK-SN) positioning system which our model car also is equipped with. Fault injection was used to study the fault tolerance of the UWB positioning system. Addressed challenges are automatically generating test cases for real-time hardware, restoring the state between tests, and maintaining safety by preventing collisions. We were able to automatically generate and carry out hundreds of experiments on the model car in real time and rerun them consistently with and without fault injection enabled. Thereby, we demonstrate one novel approach to perform automated testing on complex real-time hardware.

scholarly journals On the Performance of One-Stage and Two-Stage Object Detectors in Autonomous Vehicles Using Camera Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Manuel Carranza-García ◽  
Jesús Torres-Mateo ◽  
Pedro Lara-Benítez ◽  
Jorge García-Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Detection Systems ◽  
One Stage ◽  
Time Requirements ◽  
Speed Accuracy

Object detection using remote sensing data is a key task of the perception systems of self-driving vehicles. While many generic deep learning architectures have been proposed for this problem, there is little guidance on their suitability when using them in a particular scenario such as autonomous driving. In this work, we aim to assess the performance of existing 2D detection systems on a multi-class problem (vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists) with images obtained from the on-board camera sensors of a car. We evaluate several one-stage (RetinaNet, FCOS, and YOLOv3) and two-stage (Faster R-CNN) deep learning meta-architectures under different image resolutions and feature extractors (ResNet, ResNeXt, Res2Net, DarkNet, and MobileNet). These models are trained using transfer learning and compared in terms of both precision and efficiency, with special attention to the real-time requirements of this context. For the experimental study, we use the Waymo Open Dataset, which is the largest existing benchmark. Despite the rising popularity of one-stage detectors, our findings show that two-stage detectors still provide the most robust performance. Faster R-CNN models outperform one-stage detectors in accuracy, being also more reliable in the detection of minority classes. Faster R-CNN Res2Net-101 achieves the best speed/accuracy tradeoff but needs lower resolution images to reach real-time speed. Furthermore, the anchor-free FCOS detector is a slightly faster alternative to RetinaNet, with similar precision and lower memory usage.

Low-Cost Receiver and Network Real-Time Kinematic Positioning for use in Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (04) ◽  
pp. 917-930
Author(s):  
Fang-Shii Ning ◽  
Xiaolin Meng ◽  
Yi-Ting Wang
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Future Trend ◽  
Intelligent Transport System ◽  
Positioning System ◽  
Gnss Receiver

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) have been researched extensively for solving traffic issues and for realising the concept of an intelligent transport system. A well-developed positioning system is critical for CAVs to achieve these aims. The system should provide high accuracy, mobility, continuity, flexibility and scalability. However, high-performance equipment is too expensive for the commercial use of CAVs; therefore, the use of a low-cost Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver to achieve real-time, high-accuracy and ubiquitous positioning performance will be a future trend. This research used RTKLIB software to develop a low-cost GNSS receiver positioning system and assessed the developed positioning system according to the requirements of CAV applications. Kinematic tests were conducted to evaluate the positioning performance of the low-cost receiver in a CAV driving environment based on the accuracy requirements of CAVs. The results showed that the low-cost receiver satisfied the “Where in Lane” accuracy level (0·5 m) and achieved a similar positioning performance in rural, interurban, urban and motorway areas.

scholarly journals Visual Semantic Landmark-Based Robust Mapping and Localization for Autonomous Indoor Parking

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junqiao Zhao ◽  
Yewei Huang ◽  
Xudong He ◽  
Shaoming Zhang ◽  
Chen Ye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Indoor Localization ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Localization And Mapping ◽  
Challenging Tasks ◽  
Parking Lot ◽  
Feature Based

Autonomous parking in an indoor parking lot without human intervention is one of the most demanded and challenging tasks of autonomous driving systems. The key to this task is precise real-time indoor localization. However, state-of-the-art low-level visual feature-based simultaneous localization and mapping systems (VSLAM) suffer in monotonous or texture-less scenes and under poor illumination or dynamic conditions. Additionally, low-level feature-based mapping results are hard for human beings to use directly. In this paper, we propose a semantic landmark-based robust VSLAM for real-time localization of autonomous vehicles in indoor parking lots. The parking slots are extracted as meaningful landmarks and enriched with confidence levels. We then propose a robust optimization framework to solve the aliasing problem of semantic landmarks by dynamically eliminating suboptimal constraints in the pose graph and correcting erroneous parking slots associations. As a result, a semantic map of the parking lot, which can be used by both autonomous driving systems and human beings, is established automatically and robustly. We evaluated the real-time localization performance using multiple autonomous vehicles, and an repeatability of 0.3 m track tracing was achieved at a 10 kph of autonomous driving.

scholarly journals Processor-in-the-Loop Architecture Design and Experimental Validation for an Autonomous Racing Vehicle

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 7225
Author(s):  
Eugenio Tramacere ◽  
Sara Luciani ◽  
Stefano Feraco ◽  
Angelo Bonfitto ◽  
Nicola Amati
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Personal Computer ◽  
Trajectory Planning ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Experimental Validation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
System Level

Self-driving vehicles have experienced an increase in research interest in the last decades. Nevertheless, fully autonomous vehicles are still far from being a common means of transport. This paper presents the design and experimental validation of a processor-in-the-loop (PIL) architecture for an autonomous sports car. The considered vehicle is an all-wheel drive full-electric single-seater prototype. The retained PIL architecture includes all the modules required for autonomous driving at system level: environment perception, trajectory planning, and control. Specifically, the perception pipeline exploits obstacle detection algorithms based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the trajectory planning is based on a modified Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm based on Dubins curves, while the vehicle is controlled via a Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategy. The considered PIL layout is implemented firstly using a low-cost card-sized computer for fast code verification purposes. Furthermore, the proposed PIL architecture is compared in terms of performance to an alternative PIL using high-performance real-time target computing machine. Both PIL architectures exploit User Datagram Protocol (UDP) protocol to properly communicate with a personal computer. The latter PIL architecture is validated in real-time using experimental data. Moreover, they are also validated with respect to the general autonomous pipeline that runs in parallel on the personal computer during numerical simulation.

scholarly journals High precision positioning system for autopilot based on multi-sensor fusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 257 ◽  
pp. 02061
Author(s):  
Haoru Luo ◽  
Kechun Liu
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Sensor Fusion ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
Positioning System ◽  
Signal Loss ◽  
Automatic Driving ◽  
Core Technology ◽  
Positioning Method

For autonomous vehicles, autonomous positioning is a core technology in their development. A good positioning system not only helps them efficiently complete autonomous operations, but also improves safety performance. At present, the use of global positioning system (GPS) is a more mainstream positioning method, but in indoor, serious shelter and other environments, GPS signal loss will lead to positioning failure. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a method of mapping before positioning, and designs a set of high precision real-time positioning system by combining the technology of multi-sensor fusion. The designed system was carried on a Wuling sightseeing bus, and the mapping and positioning tests were carried out in the Nanhu Campus of Wuhan University of Technology, the East Campus of Mafangshan Campus and the underground garage where GPS signals were lost. The test results show that the system can realize the high precision real-time positioning function of the autonomous vehicle. Therefore, the in-depth study and implementation of this system is of great significance to the promotion and application of the automatic driving industry.

scholarly journals Deep Learning Based Data Fusion for Sensor Fault Diagnosis and Tolerance in Autonomous Vehicles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huihui Pan ◽  
Weichao Sun ◽  
Qiming Sun ◽  
Huijun Gao
Keyword(s):  
Fault Diagnosis ◽  
Data Fusion ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Environmental Perception ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Multiple Sensors ◽  
Perception System

Abstract Environmental perception is one of the key technologies to realize autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles are often equipped with multiple sensors to form a multi-source environmental perception system. Those sensors are very sensitive to light or background conditions, which will introduce a variety of global and local fault signals that bring great safety risks to autonomous driving system during long-term running. In this paper, a real-time data fusion network with fault diagnosis and fault tolerance mechanism is designed. By introducing prior features to realize the lightweight of the backbone network, the features of the input data can be extracted in real time accurately. Through the temporal and spatial correlation between sensor data, the sensor redundancy is utilized to diagnose the local and global condence of sensor data in real time, eliminate the fault data, and ensure the accuracy and reliability of data fusion. Experiments show that the network achieves the state-of-the-art results in speed and accuracy, and can accurately detect the location of the target when some sensors are out of focus or out of order.

scholarly journals A Novel Approach to Global Positioning System Accuracy Assessment, Verified on LiDAR Alignment of One Million Kilometers at a Continent Scale, as a Foundation for Autonomous Driving Safety Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janusz Bedkowski ◽  
Hubert Nowak ◽  
Blazej Kubiak ◽  
Witold Studzinski ◽  
Maciej Janeczek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Positioning System ◽  
Accuracy Assessment ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Safety Analysis ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Positioning System ◽  
Mobile Mapping ◽  
Data Alignment ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Global Positioning

This paper concerns a new methodology for accuracy assessment of global positioning system verified experimentally with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data alignment at continent scale for autonomous driving safety analysis. Accuracy of GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning of an autonomous driving vehicle within a lane on the road is one of the key safety considerations. Safety is addressed as a geometry of the problem, where the aim is to maintain knowledge that the vehicle (its bounding box) is within its lane. Accuracy of GPS positioning is checked by comparing it with mobile mapping tracks in the recorded high definition source. The aim of the comparison is to see if the GPS positioning remains accurate up to the dimensions of the lane where the vehicle is driving. For this reason, a new methodology is proposed. Methodology is composed of six elements: 1) Mobile mapping system minimal setup, 2) Global positioning data processing, 3) LiDAR data processing, 4) Alignment algorithm, 5) Accuracy assessment confirmation and 6) Autonomous driving safety analysis. The research challenge is to assess positioning accuracy of moving cars taking into account the constraints of the coverage of limited access highways in the United States of America. The available coverage limits the possibility of repeatable measurements and introduces an important challenge being the lack the ground truth data. State-of-the-art methods are not applicable for this particular application, therefore a novel approach is proposed. The method is to align all the available LiDAR car trajectories to confirm the GNSS+INS (Global Navigation Satellite System + Inertial Navigation System) accuracy. For this reason, the use of LiDAR metric measurements for data alignment implemented using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) was investigated, assuring no systematic drift by applying GNSS+INS constraints. SLAM implementation used state-of-the-art observation equations and the Weighted Non-Linear Least Square optimization technique that enables integration of the required constraints. The methodology was verified experimentally using arbitrarily chosen measurement instruments (NovAtel GNSS+INS, LiDAR Velodyne HDL32) mounted onto mobile mapping systems. The accuracy was assessed and confirmed by the alignment of 32785 trajectories with total length of 1,159,956.9~km and of total $186.4*10^{9}$~optimized parameters (six degrees of freedom of poses) that cover the United States region in the 2016--2019 period. It is demonstrated that the alignment improves the trajectories, thus final map is consistent. The proposed methodology extends the existing methods of global positioning system accuracy assessment focusing on realistic environmental and driving conditions. The impact of global positioning system accuracy on autonomous car safety is discussed. It is shown that 99\% of the assessed data satisfies the safety requirements (driving within lanes of 3.6~m) for Mid-Size (width 1.85~m, length 4.87~m) vehicle and 95\% for 6-Wheel Pickup (width 2.03--2.43~m, length 5.32--6.76~m). The conclusion is that this methodology has great potential for global positioning accuracy assessment at global scale for autonomous driving applications. LiDAR data alignment is introduced as a novel approach to GNSS+INS accuracy confirmation. Further research is needed to solve the identified challenges.

scholarly journals Research on NDT-based Positioning for Autonomous Driving

2021 ◽  
Vol 257 ◽  
pp. 02055
Author(s):  
Sijia Liu ◽  
Jie Luo ◽  
Jinmin Hu ◽  
Haoru Luo ◽  
Yu Liang
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Electromagnetic Interference ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Autonomous Navigation ◽  
Point Cloud ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Mapping Method ◽  
Signal Loss ◽  
Positioning Accuracy ◽  
Localization And Mapping

Autonomous driving technology is one of the currently popular technologies, while positioning is the basic problem of autonomous navigation of autonomous vehicles. GPS is widely used as a relatively mature solution in the outdoor open road environment. However, GPS signals will be greatly affected in a complex environment with obstruction and electromagnetic interference, even signal loss may occur if serious, which has a great impact on the accuracy, stability and reliability of positioning. For the time being, L4 and most L3 autonomous driving modules still provide registration and positioning based on the high-precision map constructed. Based on this, this paper elaborates on the reconstruction of the experimental scene environment, using the SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) method to construct a highprecision point cloud map. On the constructed prior map, the 3D laser point cloud NDT matching method is used for real-time positioning, which is tested and verified on the “JAC Electric Vehicle” platform. The experimental results show that this algorithm has high positioning accuracy and its real-time performance meets the requirements, which can replace GPS signals to complete the positioning of autonomous vehicles when there is no GPS signal or the GPS signal is weak, and provide positioning accuracy meeting the requirements.

scholarly journals Autonomous Driving in Traffic: Boss and the Urban Challenge

AI Magazine ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Urmson ◽  
Chris Baker ◽  
John Dolan ◽  
Paul Rybski ◽  
Bryan Salesky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Software System ◽  
Intelligent Software ◽  
The World

The DARPA Urban Challenge was a competition to develop autonomous vehicles capable of safely, reliably and robustly driving in traffic. In this article we introduce Boss, the autonomous vehicle that won the challenge. Boss is complex artificially intelligent software system embodied in a 2007 Chevy Tahoe. To navigate safely, the vehicle builds a model of the world around it in real time. This model is used to generate safe routes and motion plans in both on roads and in unstructured zones. An essential part of Boss’ success stems from its ability to safely handle both abnormal situations and system glitches.

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