L-Shape Model Switching-Based Precise Motion Tracking of Moving Vehicles Using Laser Scanners

Detection and tracking of moving objects is one of the most essential functions of autonomous cars. In order to estimate the dynamic information of a moving object accurately, laser scanners are widely used for their highly accurate distance data. However, these data only represent the surface of an object facing the sensor and changes the appearance of an object over time. This change produces unexpected tracking errors of estimated dynamic states. In this paper, in order to minimize the tracking error caused by appearance changes, a tracking algorithm based on L-shaped model switching is proposed. The suggested algorithm is validated in real traffic experiments where position, velocity, and heading angle error were measured by using precise GPS. The L-shape tracking algorithm successfully mitigated the effect of appearance changes and improved estimation performance.