Safety Implications of Potential Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Sensor Degradation

Details

• Creators:
  Stowe, Loren ; Alcazar, Javier ; Huggins, Steven ; Beale, Gregory T ; Palmer, Matt ; Doerzaph, Zachary R
• Corporate Creators:
  Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Office of Vehicle Safety Research
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Advanced Driver Information Systems Cameras Degradation Failures In Vehicle Sensors Laser Radar Radar Self Diagnostic Routines Ultrasonic Detectors
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT HS 813 740 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.21949/87jb-q591
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Abstract:
  The project examined the impact of degradations on advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) perception sensor performance. Sensor degradation refers to the gradual decline in a sensor’s performance over time, resulting in deviations from its nominal or expected output. The scope included permanent and semi-permanent cumulative degradations affecting camera, radar, and LiDAR sensors. Degradation types were identified through a literature review and stakeholder interviews. Methods were developed to create, test, and evaluate degradations using static tests with various targets, enabling consistent assessment of different material and degradation combinations. Results helped identify the most impactful degradations and guided the selection of samples for component and vehicle-level testing. Each degradation was tested at three severity levels (high, medium, and low). Camera, radar, and LiDAR sensors and a ground truth system were mounted on a vehicle for data collection in dynamic scenarios using a target vehicle. Sensor data with and without degraded conditions were compared. While all degradations affected sensor signal paths, impacts varied. Occlusions reduced sensor response, and road grime or improper repairs significantly decreased sensor range and point returns. System level evaluation of a vehicle’s ADAS with degraded sensors introduced additional challenges. Depending on how the ADAS processed degraded sensor signals and the level of redundancy (e.g., sensor fusion), system behavior ranged from feature shutdown, to ADAS performance degradation, or no impact.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTNH2214D00328L ; 693JJ919F000194
• Collection(s):
  NHTSA - Vehicle Safety Research
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4b5549fc780d1a48a6512c970548bc69761ea6dee9745e6a64c000553091f48a06662a9421911176dd79f2d145b61fc290d567d2492434c81758e3ce52a00512
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88134/dot_88134_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 9.66 MB ]