Modeling realistic optical aberrations to reuse existing drive scene recordings for autonomous driving validation

Matthias Lehmann; Christian Wittpahl; Hatem Ben Zakour; Alexander Braun

doi:10.1117/1.JEI.28.1.013005

12 January 2019 Modeling realistic optical aberrations to reuse existing drive scene recordings for autonomous driving validation

Matthias Lehmann, Christian Wittpahl, Hatem Ben Zakour, Alexander Braun

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Electronic Imaging, Vol. 28, Issue 1, 013005 (January 2019). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JEI.28.1.013005

Abstract

Training autonomous vehicles requires lots of driving sequences in all situations. Collecting and labeling these drive scenes is a very time-consuming and expensive process. Currently, it is not possible to reuse these drive scenes with different optical properties, because there exists no numerically efficient model for the transfer function of the optical system. We present a numerical model for the point spread function (PSF) of an optical system that can efficiently model both experimental measurements and lens design simulations of the PSF. The numerical basis for this model is a nonlinear regression of the PSF with an artificial neural network. The novelty lies in the portability and the parameterization of this model. We present a lens measurement series, yielding a numerical function for the PSF that depends only on the parameters defocus, field, and azimuth. By convolving existing images and videos with this PSF, we generate images as if seen through the measured lens. The methodology applies to any optical scenario, but we focus on the context of autonomous driving, where the quality of the detection algorithms depends directly on the optical quality of the used camera system. With this model, it is possible to reuse existing recordings, with the potential to avoid millions of test drive miles. The parameterization of the optical model allows for a method to validate the functional and safety limits of camera-based advanced driver assistance systems based on the real, measured lens actually used in the product.

Citation Download Citation

Matthias Lehmann, Christian Wittpahl, Hatem Ben Zakour, and Alexander Braun "Modeling realistic optical aberrations to reuse existing drive scene recordings for autonomous driving validation," Journal of Electronic Imaging 28(1), 013005 (12 January 2019). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JEI.28.1.013005

Received: 24 July 2018; Accepted: 14 December 2018; Published: 12 January 2019

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