Observability analysis and optimal sensor placement in stereo radar odometry

© 2016 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Localization is the key perceptual process closing the loop of autonomous navigation, allowing self-driving vehicles to operate in a deliberate way. To ensure robust localization, autonomous vehicles have to implement redundant estimation processes, ideally independent in terms of the underlying physics behind sensing principles. This paper presents a stereo radar odometry system, which can be used as such a redundant system, complementary to other odometry estimation processes, providing robustness for long-term operability. The presented work is novel with respect to previously published methods in that it contains: (i) a detailed formulation of the Doppler error and its associated uncertainty; (ii) an observability analysis that gives the minimal conditions to infer a 2D twist from radar readings; and (iii) a numerical analysis for optimal vehicle sensor placement. Experimental results are also detailed that validate the theoretical insights.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Static Background Removal in Vehicular Radar: Filtering in Azimuth-Elevation-Doppler Domain

A significant challenge in autonomous driving systems lies in image understanding within complex environments, particularly dense traffic scenarios. An effective solution to this challenge involves removing the background or static objects from the scene, so as to enhance the detection of moving targets as key component of improving overall system performance. In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm for background removal in automotive radar applications, specifically utilizing a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar. Our proposed algorithm follows a three-step approach, encompassing radar signal preprocessing, three-dimensional (3D) ego-motion estimation, and notch filter-based background removal in the azimuth-elevation-Doppler domain. To begin, we model the received signal of the FMCW multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar and develop a signal processing framework for extracting four-dimensional (4D) point clouds. Subsequently, we introduce a robust 3D ego-motion estimation algorithm that accurately estimates radar ego-motion speed, accounting for Doppler ambiguity, by processing the point clouds. Additionally, our algorithm leverages the relationship between Doppler velocity, azimuth angle, elevation angle, and radar ego-motion speed to identify the spectrum belonging to background clutter. Subsequently, we employ notch filters to effectively filter out the background clutter. The performance of our algorithm is evaluated using both simulated data and extensive experiments with real-world data. The results demonstrate its effectiveness in efficiently removing background clutter and enhacing perception within complex environments. By offering a fast and computationally efficient solution, our approach effectively addresses challenges posed by non-homogeneous environments and real-time processing requirements

Doppler-only Single-scan 3D Vehicle Odometry

We present a novel 3D odometry method that recovers the full motion of a vehicle only from a Doppler-capable range sensor. It leverages the radial velocities measured from the scene, estimating the sensor's velocity from a single scan. The vehicle's 3D motion, defined by its linear and angular velocities, is calculated taking into consideration its kinematic model which provides a constraint between the velocity measured at the sensor frame and the vehicle frame. Experiments carried out prove the viability of our single-sensor method compared to mounting an additional IMU. Our method provides the translation of the sensor, which cannot be reliably determined from an IMU, as well as its rotation. Its short-term accuracy and fast operation (~5ms) make it a proper candidate to supply the initialization to more complex localization algorithms or mapping pipelines. Not only does it reduce the error of the mapper, but it does so at a comparable level of accuracy as an IMU would. All without the need to mount and calibrate an extra sensor on the vehicle.Comment: This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publication. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no longer be accessibl

Radars for Autonomous Driving: A Review of Deep Learning Methods and Challenges

Radar is a key component of the suite of perception sensors used for safe and reliable navigation of autonomous vehicles. Its unique capabilities include high-resolution velocity imaging, detection of agents in occlusion and over long ranges, and robust performance in adverse weather conditions. However, the usage of radar data presents some challenges: it is characterized by low resolution, sparsity, clutter, high uncertainty, and lack of good datasets. These challenges have limited radar deep learning research. As a result, current radar models are often influenced by lidar and vision models, which are focused on optical features that are relatively weak in radar data, thus resulting in under-utilization of radar's capabilities and diminishing its contribution to autonomous perception. This review seeks to encourage further deep learning research on autonomous radar data by 1) identifying key research themes, and 2) offering a comprehensive overview of current opportunities and challenges in the field. Topics covered include early and late fusion, occupancy flow estimation, uncertainty modeling, and multipath detection. The paper also discusses radar fundamentals and data representation, presents a curated list of recent radar datasets, and reviews state-of-the-art lidar and vision models relevant for radar research. For a summary of the paper and more results, visit the website: autonomous-radars.github.io

Extrinsic Calibration of 2D Millimetre-Wavelength Radar Pairs Using Ego-Velocity Estimates

Correct radar data fusion depends on knowledge of the spatial transform between sensor pairs. Current methods for determining this transform operate by aligning identifiable features in different radar scans, or by relying on measurements from another, more accurate sensor. Feature-based alignment requires the sensors to have overlapping fields of view or necessitates the construction of an environment map. Several existing techniques require bespoke retroreflective radar targets. These requirements limit both where and how calibration can be performed. In this paper, we take a different approach: instead of attempting to track targets or features, we rely on ego-velocity estimates from each radar to perform calibration. Our method enables calibration of a subset of the transform parameters, including the yaw and the axis of translation between the radar pair, without the need for a shared field of view or for specialized targets. In general, the yaw and the axis of translation are the most important parameters for data fusion, the most likely to vary over time, and the most difficult to calibrate manually. We formulate calibration as a batch optimization problem, show that the radar-radar system is identifiable, and specify the platform excitation requirements. Through simulation studies and real-world experiments, we establish that our method is more reliable and accurate than state-of-the-art methods. Finally, we demonstrate that the full rigid body transform can be recovered if relatively coarse information about the platform rotation rate is available.Comment: Accepted to the 2023 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM 2023), Seattle, Washington, USA, June 27- July 1, 202