Investigating the Impact of Environmental Factors on Autonomous Vehicle Sensors

The operation of autonomous vehicles requires the coordinated operation of a number of sensors to improve road safety. Data from the sensors are processed by vehicle control algorithms, which then make decisions. If there is a degradation in the efficiency of these sensors, the reliability of the whole system is affected. Different weather conditions affect the efficiency of the system. The research has identified the weather factors that affect the performance of the sensors based on a literature search. Following the literature analysis, a simulation test was carried out to investigate the extent to which the detection performance of a stereo video camera installed in an experimental autonomous vehicle is affected when part of the sensor is covered by a contaminant. The measurement was followed by a comparison of the vehicle and obstacle detection efficiency when the camera is completely clean and when part of the camera is covered.