Experimental Study Regarding Long Range LiDAR Capabilities in Sensing Safety Distance for Vehicle Application

The safety of vehicles is one of the major goals of driving automation. The safety distance is longer for rail vehicles such as trams because of the adherence limitations of the wheel-to-rail system. The major issues of fixed frontal sensing are fake target detection, blind spots related to rail slo...

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Main Authors: Gabriel Popa, Marius-Alin Gheți, Emil Tudor, Ionuț Vasile, Ion-Cătălin Sburlan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-07-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/15/5731
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author Gabriel Popa
Marius-Alin Gheți
Emil Tudor
Ionuț Vasile
Ion-Cătălin Sburlan
author_facet Gabriel Popa
Marius-Alin Gheți
Emil Tudor
Ionuț Vasile
Ion-Cătălin Sburlan
author_sort Gabriel Popa
collection DOAJ
description The safety of vehicles is one of the major goals of driving automation. The safety distance is longer for rail vehicles such as trams because of the adherence limitations of the wheel-to-rail system. The major issues of fixed frontal sensing are fake target detection, blind spots related to rail slopes, curves, and random changes in the target’s illumination or reflectivity. In this experimental study, distance measurements were performed using a scaled tram model equipped with a LiDAR sensor with a narrow field of view, under different conditions of illumination, size, and reflectivity of the target objects, and using different track configurations, to evaluate the effectiveness of such sensors in collision-avoidance systems for rail applications. The experimental findings are underlining the sensor’s sensitivity to fake targets, objects in the sensor’s blind spots, and special optical interferences, which are important for evaluating long-range LiDAR capabilities in sensing safety distance for vehicles. The conclusions can help developers to produce a dedicated colliding prevention system for trams and to identify the zones with high risk in the track where additional protection methods should be used. The LiDAR sensor must be used in conjunction with additional sensors to perform all the security tasks of an anti-colliding system for the tram.
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spelling doaj.art-908f43c764604c0ead82f32e7c9dade72023-12-03T13:01:21ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202022-07-012215573110.3390/s22155731Experimental Study Regarding Long Range LiDAR Capabilities in Sensing Safety Distance for Vehicle ApplicationGabriel Popa0Marius-Alin Gheți1Emil Tudor2Ionuț Vasile3Ion-Cătălin Sburlan4Rolling Stock Department from Faculty of Transport, University “Politehnica” of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaRolling Stock Department from Faculty of Transport, University “Politehnica” of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaElectrical Motors and Drives Laboratory, National Institute for Research and Development in Electrical Engineering ICPE-CA, 030138 Bucharest, RomaniaElectrical Motors and Drives Laboratory, National Institute for Research and Development in Electrical Engineering ICPE-CA, 030138 Bucharest, RomaniaElectrical Motors and Drives Laboratory, National Institute for Research and Development in Electrical Engineering ICPE-CA, 030138 Bucharest, RomaniaThe safety of vehicles is one of the major goals of driving automation. The safety distance is longer for rail vehicles such as trams because of the adherence limitations of the wheel-to-rail system. The major issues of fixed frontal sensing are fake target detection, blind spots related to rail slopes, curves, and random changes in the target’s illumination or reflectivity. In this experimental study, distance measurements were performed using a scaled tram model equipped with a LiDAR sensor with a narrow field of view, under different conditions of illumination, size, and reflectivity of the target objects, and using different track configurations, to evaluate the effectiveness of such sensors in collision-avoidance systems for rail applications. The experimental findings are underlining the sensor’s sensitivity to fake targets, objects in the sensor’s blind spots, and special optical interferences, which are important for evaluating long-range LiDAR capabilities in sensing safety distance for vehicles. The conclusions can help developers to produce a dedicated colliding prevention system for trams and to identify the zones with high risk in the track where additional protection methods should be used. The LiDAR sensor must be used in conjunction with additional sensors to perform all the security tasks of an anti-colliding system for the tram.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/15/5731automated drivingautonomous vehiclesdistance sensorLiDAR sensorlong-distance sensorsafety distance
spellingShingle Gabriel Popa
Marius-Alin Gheți
Emil Tudor
Ionuț Vasile
Ion-Cătălin Sburlan
Experimental Study Regarding Long Range LiDAR Capabilities in Sensing Safety Distance for Vehicle Application
Sensors
automated driving
autonomous vehicles
distance sensor
LiDAR sensor
long-distance sensor
safety distance
title Experimental Study Regarding Long Range LiDAR Capabilities in Sensing Safety Distance for Vehicle Application
title_full Experimental Study Regarding Long Range LiDAR Capabilities in Sensing Safety Distance for Vehicle Application
title_fullStr Experimental Study Regarding Long Range LiDAR Capabilities in Sensing Safety Distance for Vehicle Application
title_full_unstemmed Experimental Study Regarding Long Range LiDAR Capabilities in Sensing Safety Distance for Vehicle Application
title_short Experimental Study Regarding Long Range LiDAR Capabilities in Sensing Safety Distance for Vehicle Application
title_sort experimental study regarding long range lidar capabilities in sensing safety distance for vehicle application
topic automated driving
autonomous vehicles
distance sensor
LiDAR sensor
long-distance sensor
safety distance
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/15/5731
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