Robustness Evaluation of Vehicle Localization in 3D Map Using Convergence of Scan Matching

ABSTRACT: Ego-vehicle localization is a critical technology in autonomous driving systems, and one of the widely used methods for localization is scan matching between a 3D map and real-time LiDAR scan. This method is known to fail due to factors such as an incorrect initial position and orientation for scan matching. In this paper, we propose a simulator-based localization evaluation framework to verify the robustness of localization. By using a simulator, localization can be evaluated without driving a real vehicle, and can be evaluated by creating disturbances such as traffic jams. Our framework also allows to evaluate the robustness of localization by using multiple particles with random errors of the initial position and orientation for scan matching to simulate dead reckoning errors caused by multiple factors such as road surface conditions and tire diameter. In the evaluation experiments, we confirmed that the robustness of localization can be evaluated by applying this method to factors such as sensor setup, disturbances in the traffic environment, and the amount of 3D features in the environment.