For many automated driving functions, a highly accurate perception of the vehicle environment is a crucial prerequisite. Modern high-resolution radar sensors generate multiple radar targets per object, which makes these sensors particularly suitable for the 2D object detection task. This work presents an approach to detect 2D objects solely depending on sparse radar data using PointNets. In literature, only methods are presented so far which perform either object classification or bounding box estimation for objects. In contrast, this method facilitates a classification together with a bounding box estimation of objects using a single radar sensor. To this end, PointNets are adjusted for radar data performing 2D object classification with segmentation, and 2D bounding box regression in order to estimate an amodal 2D bounding box. The algorithm is evaluated using an automatically created dataset which consist of various realistic driving maneuvers. The results show the great potential of object detection in high-resolution radar data using PointNets.

In many applications, tracking of multiple objects is crucial for a perception of the current environment. Most of the present multi-object tracking algorithms assume that objects move independently regarding other dynamic objects as well as the static environment. Since in many traffic situations objects interact with each other and in addition there are restrictions due to drivable areas, the assumption of an independent object motion is not fulfilled. This paper proposes an approach adapting a multi-object tracking system to model interaction between vehicles, and the current road geometry. Therefore, the prediction step of a Labeled Multi-Bernoulli filter is extended to facilitate modeling interaction between objects using the Intelligent Driver Model. Furthermore, to consider road map information, an approximation of a highly precise road map is used. The results show that in scenarios where the assumption of a standard motion model is violated, the tracking system adapted with the proposed method achieves higher accuracy and robustness in its track estimations.

Autonomously driving vehicles require a complete and robust perception of the local environment. A main challenge is to perceive any other road users, where multi-object tracking or occupancy grid maps are commonly used. The presented approach combines both methods to compensate false positives and receive a complementary environment perception. Therefore, an environment perception framework is introduced that defines a common representation, extracts objects from a dynamic occupancy grid map and fuses them with tracks of a Labeled Multi-Bernoulli filter. Finally, a confidence value is developed, that validates object estimates using different constraints regarding physical possibilities, method specific characteristics and contextual information from a digital map. Experimental results with real world data highlight the robustness and significance of the presented fusing approach, utilizing the confidence value in rural and urban scenarios.

This paper proposes a fast implementation of the Labeled Multi-Bernoulli (LMB) filter based on a joint prediction and update scheme. The joint calculation prevents the treatment of insignificant hypotheses, e.g. considering the disappearance of an object with high existence probability which additionally generated a precise measurement in the received measurement set. Further, a Gibbs sampling approach for generating association hypotheses is presented which drastically reduces the computational complexity compared to Murty's ranked-assignment algorithm. The proposed Gibbs sampling implementation is compared to the standard implementation of the LMB filter using two scenarios: tracking vehicles using a multi-sensor setup on a German highway and extended object tracking in an urban scenario using Velodyne data.

This paper proposes a new multi-Bernoulli filter called the Adaptive Labeled Multi-Bernoulli filter. It combines the relative strengths of the known delta-Generalized Labeled Multi-Bernoulli and the Labeled Multi-Bernoulli filter. The proposed filter provides a more precise target tracking in critical situations, where the Labeled Multi-Bernoulli filter looses information through the approximation error in the update step. In noncritical situations it inherits the advantage of the Labeled Multi-Bernoulli filter to reduce the computational complexity by using the LMB approximation.

Occupancy grid maps provide a reliable vehicle environmental model and usually process data from range finding sensors. Object grid maps additionally contain information about the classes of objects, which is crucial for applications like autonomous driving. Unfortunately, they lack the precision of occupancy grid maps, since they mostly process classification results from camera data by projecting the corresponding images onto the ground plane. This paper proposes a modular framework to create precise object grid maps. The presented algorithm creates classical occupancy grid maps and object grid maps. In a combination step, it transforms both maps into the same frame of discernment based on the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence. This allows fusing the maps to one object grid map, which contains valuable object information and at the same time benefits from the precision of the occupancy grid map.

Future Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) require an integrated functional framework that provides cloud-based services to automated vehicles and other traffic participants. The goal is to process, store and share relevant information in order to continually assure and improve the efficiency, safety and comfort of the CITS. This paper introduces a first conceptual hypothesis for such a framework that is developed in the project UNICARagil, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). Three main components of this framework, the Collective Environment Model, the Collective Memory and the Collective Behavior, are presented. Open challenges associated with current and future technology are discussed.