Validation of a Radar Sensor Model under non-ideal Conditions for Testing Automated Driving Systems

Testing of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) is complex, time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, new methods for the validation of such applications are required. A common solution is the use of virtual validation via environment simulation tools, but their reliability must first be confirmed. For this purpose, a comparison of a real and a simulated radar sensor under adverse weather conditions is performed in this work. To quantify the deviation between reality and the virtual test environment, a complex scenario with multiple traffic objects is set up on the proving ground and in the simulation. The data is measured for clear weather, rain and fog and afterwards compared to validate the performance of the sensor model under those non-ideal conditions. The implemented method shows that both sensors neglect the same traffic objects. Compared to the real radar, the variation of the measured parameters according to changing weather conditions in the simulation tends to be correct, but the values are not completely realistic. Though, the validation method is implemented successfully, in further work the comparison of different sensors is recommended. Furthermore, an in-depth examination of the impact due to varying intensity of rain and fog has to be undertaken.