A mobile measurement platform for mapping and recording the space around the vehicle in a 360° range

An advanced mobile measurement platform integrated with a passenger car was developed as part of the DARTS-PL project, funded by the National Centre for Research and Development. Its main purpose is the comprehensive acquisition and precise synchronization of data from a wide range of sensors whose parameters meet the requirements of manufacturers of automated and autonomous vehicles. The system, developed and delivered by ENVIBRA LLC, is based on DEWESOFT X software, which collects real-time data from cameras, lidars, radars, a thermal imaging camera, and an inertial navigation unit. The platform enables the creation of unique, multi-modal data sets, crucial for the development, testing and validation of autonomous systems (AV) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in real road conditions.

The platform is equipped with an integrated set of the most modern sensors, whose data is precisely synchronized in real time:

  • Vision cameras: 7 Full HD cameras (DS-CAM-640c) recording at 25 fps, including 6 cameras providing 360° panoramic image and 1 long-range forward-facing camera.
  • Lidars: 6 128-beam lidars (Ouster OS1, OS2, OS-DOME) providing full 360° spatial coverage and generating a precise point cloud.
  • Radars: 6 radars (Smartmicro DRVEGRD 152 and 169), including 4 short-range radars, 1 medium-range radar and 1 long-range radar.
  • Thermal imaging camera: 1 thermal imaging camera (Optris PI640) to detect objects based on their heat signature, regardless of lighting conditions.
  • Positioning system: Precision inertial navigation unit (NAVIONi2) with GNSS receiver and RTK correction to accurately determine the vehicle’s position, speed and orientation.

The key element of the system is the high-performance B-PLUS BRICK2 on-board computer, capable of handling data streams with a bandwidth up to 800MB/s. Precise synchronization of all sensors is ensured by the PTP protocol and DEWESOFT X software, which also enables live data viewing at the operator’s station. The sensors, apart from the radars located in the bumpers, are placed on a specially designed, modular structure on the roof made of aluminum. The integrated system for maintaining a constant temperature inside the structure placed on the roof allows operation in a temperature range from -10°C to +40°C, at speeds of up to 130 km/h. The independent power supply system ensures a minimum of 4 hours of continuous operation.

The main use of the platform is to collect data for the construction and validation of a national database of test scenarios for autonomous vehicles, taking into account road conditions specific to Poland, infrastructure and driver behavior. The collected data will enable advanced research on perception and sensory fusion algorithms, validation of ADAS and AV systems, analysis of vehicle-environment interactions, and the creation of digital twins of real road situations for testing in a virtual environment.