Overview of Sensing in Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) rely on a suite of sensors to perceive their environment, enabling safe navigation and decision-making. These sensors act as the "eyes and ears" of the vehicle, collecting data about surroundings in real-time. The primary sensors discussed here are LiDAR, radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors. Each type has unique strengths, making them complementary for comprehensive perception.
Understanding sensor fusion—combining data from multiple sensors—is crucial, especially given prerequisites like coordinate systems and transformations, which help integrate sensor data into a unified vehicle frame.
Key benefits of diverse sensors:
- Redundancy for safety in varying conditions (e.g., night, rain).
- Enhanced accuracy through cross-validation.
- Coverage of different ranges and modalities (e.g., distance, color, velocity).