scholarly journals Automatic Vector-Based Road Structure Mapping Using Multibeam LiDAR

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 1726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junqiao Zhao ◽  
Xudong He ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Tiantian Feng ◽  
Chen Ye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Mapping Method ◽  
Structure Mapping ◽  
High Definition ◽  
The Road ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Localization And Mapping ◽  
Efficient Vector ◽  
And Control

The high-definition map (HD-map) of road structures is crucial for the safe planning and control of autonomous vehicles. However, generating and updating such maps requires intensive manual work. Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is able to automatically build and update a map of the environment. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of SLAM method for generating vector-based road structure maps. In this paper, we propose a vector-based SLAM method for the road structure mapping using vehicle-mounted multibeam LiDAR. We propose using polylines as the primary mapping element instead of grid maps or point clouds because the vector-based representation is lightweight and precise. We explored the following: (1) the extraction and vectorization of road structures based on multiframe probabilistic fusion; (2) the efficient vector-based matching between frames of road structures; (3) the loop closure and optimization based on the pose-graph; and (4) the global reconstruction of the vector map. One specific road structure, the road boundary, is taken as an example. We applied the proposed mapping method to three road scenes, ranging from hundreds of meters to over ten kilometers and the results are automatically generated vector-based road boundary maps. The average absolute pose error of the trajectory in the mapping is 1.83 m without the aid of high-precision GPS.

scholarly journals Design and Implementation of Edge-Fog-Cloud System through HD Map Generation from LiDAR Data of Autonomous Vehicles

Electronics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2084
Author(s):  
Junwon Lee ◽  
Kieun Lee ◽  
Aelee Yoo ◽  
Changjoo Moon
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Fog Computing ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Lidar Data ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Localization And Mapping ◽  
Cloud Server ◽  
Map Generation ◽  
Self Driving Cars

Self-driving cars, autonomous vehicles (AVs), and connected cars combine the Internet of Things (IoT) and automobile technologies, thus contributing to the development of society. However, processing the big data generated by AVs is a challenge due to overloading issues. Additionally, near real-time/real-time IoT services play a significant role in vehicle safety. Therefore, the architecture of an IoT system that collects and processes data, and provides services for vehicle driving, is an important consideration. In this study, we propose a fog computing server model that generates a high-definition (HD) map using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data generated from an AV. The driving vehicle edge node transmits the LiDAR point cloud information to the fog server through a wireless network. The fog server generates an HD map by applying the Normal Distribution Transform-Simultaneous Localization and Mapping(NDT-SLAM) algorithm to the point clouds transmitted from the multiple edge nodes. Subsequently, the coordinate information of the HD map generated in the sensor frame is converted to the coordinate information of the global frame and transmitted to the cloud server. Then, the cloud server creates an HD map by integrating the collected point clouds using coordinate information.

scholarly journals Performance Analysis of NDT-based Graph SLAM for Autonomous Vehicle in Diverse Typical Driving Scenarios of Hong Kong

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 3928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weisong Wen ◽  
Li-Ta Hsu ◽  
Guohao Zhang
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
Tall Buildings ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Reliability Estimation ◽  
Traffic Condition ◽  
Localization And Mapping ◽  
Graph Slam

Robust and lane-level positioning is essential for autonomous vehicles. As an irreplaceable sensor, Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) can provide continuous and high-frequency pose estimation by means of mapping, on condition that enough environment features are available. The error of mapping can accumulate over time. Therefore, LiDAR is usually integrated with other sensors. In diverse urban scenarios, the environment feature availability relies heavily on the traffic (moving and static objects) and the degree of urbanization. Common LiDAR-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) demonstrations tend to be studied in light traffic and less urbanized area. However, its performance can be severely challenged in deep urbanized cities, such as Hong Kong, Tokyo, and New York with dense traffic and tall buildings. This paper proposes to analyze the performance of standalone NDT-based graph SLAM and its reliability estimation in diverse urban scenarios to further evaluate the relationship between the performance of LiDAR-based SLAM and scenario conditions. The normal distribution transform (NDT) is employed to calculate the transformation between frames of point clouds. Then, the LiDAR odometry is performed based on the calculated continuous transformation. The state-of-the-art graph-based optimization is used to integrate the LiDAR odometry measurements to implement optimization. The 3D building models are generated and the definition of the degree of urbanization based on Skyplot is proposed. Experiments are implemented in different scenarios with different degrees of urbanization and traffic conditions. The results show that the performance of the LiDAR-based SLAM using NDT is strongly related to the traffic condition and degree of urbanization. The best performance is achieved in the sparse area with normal traffic and the worse performance is obtained in dense urban area with 3D positioning error (summation of horizontal and vertical) gradients of 0.024 m/s and 0.189 m/s, respectively. The analyzed results can be a comprehensive benchmark for evaluating the performance of standalone NDT-based graph SLAM in diverse scenarios which is significant for multi-sensor fusion of autonomous vehicle.

scholarly journals Road-Aware Trajectory Prediction for Autonomous Driving on Highways

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4703
Author(s):  
Yookhyun Yoon ◽  
Taeyeon Kim ◽  
Ho Lee ◽  
Jahnghyon Park
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Prediction Method ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Trajectory Prediction ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Geometry ◽  
Efficient Learning

For driving safely and comfortably, the long-term trajectory prediction of surrounding vehicles is essential for autonomous vehicles. For handling the uncertain nature of trajectory prediction, deep-learning-based approaches have been proposed previously. An on-road vehicle must obey road geometry, i.e., it should run within the constraint of the road shape. Herein, we present a novel road-aware trajectory prediction method which leverages the use of high-definition maps with a deep learning network. We developed a data-efficient learning framework for the trajectory prediction network in the curvilinear coordinate system of the road and a lane assignment for the surrounding vehicles. Then, we proposed a novel output-constrained sequence-to-sequence trajectory prediction network to incorporate the structural constraints of the road. Our method uses these structural constraints as prior knowledge for the prediction network. It is not only used as an input to the trajectory prediction network, but is also included in the constrained loss function of the maneuver recognition network. Accordingly, the proposed method can predict a feasible and realistic intention of the driver and trajectory. Our method has been evaluated using a real traffic dataset, and the results thus obtained show that it is data-efficient and can predict reasonable trajectories at merging sections.

scholarly journals A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON UPDATING HIGH DEFINITION MAPS: DETECTING AND POSITIONING A TRAFFIC CONE BY USING A STEREO CAMERA

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-4/W19 ◽  
pp. 271-274
Author(s):  
M. L. R. Lagahit ◽  
Y. H. Tseng
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Time Data ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Stereo Camera ◽  
The Road ◽  
On The Road ◽  
Self Driving Cars

Abstract. The concept of Autonomous Vehicles (AV) or self-driving cars has been increasingly popular these past few years. As such, research and development of AVs have also escalated around the world. One of those researches is about High-Definition (HD) maps. HD Maps are basically very detailed maps that provide all the geometric and semantic information on the road, which helps the AV in positioning itself on the lanes as well as mapping objects and markings on the road. This research will focus on the early stages of updating said HD maps. The methodology mainly consists of (1) running YOLOv3, a real-time object detection system, on a photo taken from a stereo camera to detect the object of interest, in this case a traffic cone, (2) applying the theories of stereo-photogrammetry to determine the 3D coordinates of the traffic cone, and (3) executing all of it at the same time on a Python-based platform. Results have shown centimeter-level accuracy in terms of obtained distance and height of the detected traffic cone from the camera setup. In future works, observed coordinates can be uploaded to a database and then connected to an application for real-time data storage/management and interactive visualization.

scholarly journals BARRIER AND GUARDRAIL EXTRACTION AND CLASSIFICATION FROM POINT CLOUDS

2020 ◽  
Vol XLIII-B5-2020 ◽  
pp. 157-162
Author(s):  
M. Vidal ◽  
L. Díaz-Vilariño ◽  
P. Arias ◽  
J. Balado
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Concrete Barriers ◽  
Parameter Dependent

Abstract. In the recent years, the modelling of infrastructures has been receiving increasingly attention due to the importance of transport infrastructures for global economy, traffic safety and for the generation of high definition maps, essential to autonomous vehicles. This paper presents a simple method for the segmentation and classification of concrete barriers and guardrails in road surroundings. First steps of the method are aimed to delimit the region of the point cloud outside the driving lanes in which barriers and guardrails are installed. The purpose is to significantly reduce the size of point clouds in order to improve further processing. Then, barrier segmentation and classification are designed as parameter-dependent processes because the geometric features of roads and barriers and guardrails are mostly regulated by norms and standards. Results show a good performance in terms of classification in comparison of other state of the art methods. Better results were obtained for guardrails than for concrete barriers. The method has been tested in a set of point clouds acquired with a Mobile Laser Scanner from conventional roads and highways.

scholarly journals Space Invaders: Pedestrian Proxemic Utility Functions and Trust Zones for Autonomous Vehicle Interactions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanta Camara ◽  
Charles Fox
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
Utility Functions ◽  
Hyperbolic Function ◽  
The Road ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Public Datasets ◽  
Discrete Theory ◽  
And Control ◽  
Road Crossing

AbstractUnderstanding pedestrian proxemic utility and trust will help autonomous vehicles to plan and control interactions with pedestrians more safely and efficiently. When pedestrians cross the road in front of human-driven vehicles, the two agents use knowledge of each other’s preferences to negotiate and to determine who will yield to the other. Autonomous vehicles will require similar understandings, but previous work has shown a need for them to be provided in the form of continuous proxemic utility functions, which are not available from previous proxemics studies based on Hall’s discrete zones. To fill this gap, a new Bayesian method to infer continuous pedestrian proxemic utility functions is proposed, and related to a new definition of ‘physical trust requirement’ (PTR) for road-crossing scenarios. The method is validated on simulation data then its parameters are inferred empirically from two public datasets. Results show that pedestrian proxemic utility is best described by a hyperbolic function, and that trust by the pedestrian is required in a discrete ‘trust zone’ which emerges naturally from simple physics. The PTR concept is then shown to be capable of generating and explaining the empirically observed zone sizes of Hall’s discrete theory of proxemics.

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