Evaluation of Forward Vehicle Collision Warning System Performance in Rainy Conditions and Proposed Testing Approaches

In this study, we proposes a new testing procedure for evaluating the performance of Forward Vehicle Collision Warning Systems (FVCWS) under rainfall conditions and verifying system reliability. The existing KS X ISO 15623 standard was limited to evaluating FVCWS performance, considering only normal driving conditions. To verify FVCWS performance in real-world conditions, we conducted experiments under rainy weather scenarios. We proposed a performance evaluation method in a controlled environment using the rainfall simulation facility at the SOC Evaluation Research Center. The experiments were conducted outdoors and inside a tunnel, with vehicle speed (20-50km/h) and rainfall intensity (0-20mm/h) variables. Results showed that under rainfall conditions (20mm/h), the Time to Collision (TTC) significantly decreased compared to clear weather conditions. At 50km/h, the TTC was 2.54 seconds (±0.30s) in clear outdoor conditions, but decreased substantially to 1.35 seconds (±0.30s) under rainfall conditions inside the tunnel. This study shows that FVCWS performance can significantly worsen under rainy conditions, emphasizing the necessity of evaluating performance with consideration for weather conditions. For further studies, the differences between tunnel test environments and actual road conditions should be addressed.