Test methodology for rain influence on automotive surround sensors
Sinan Hasirlioglu, Alexander Kamann, Igor Doric, Thomas Brandmeier · 2016
Automotive safety systems aim to provide maximum protection to vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users. These safety features rely on data from surround sensors such as radar, lidar and camera, which provide detailed information about the environment of the vehicle. A minor error in the measurements of these sensors can lead to major injuries or death. Hence, the reliability and accuracy of these sensor systems is mandatory. The performance of surround sensors depends on their local environment, because of the attenuation of the ambient atmosphere. Environmental influences such as rain additionally affects the accuracy of sensor systems. Therefore, these sensors must be tested under various weather conditions. This paper presents a new test methodology for rain influence on automotive surround sensors. Therefore, a rain simulator was designed and validated. The proposed test methodology was applied to radar, lidar and camera sensors in an experimental setup.