Extended Floating Car Data system - experimental study

This paper presents the results of a set of extensive experiments carried out in daytime and nighttime conditions in real traffic using an enhanced or extended Floating Car Data system (xFCD) that includes a stereo vision sensor for detecting the local traffic ahead. The detection component implies the use of previously monocular approaches developed by our group in combination with new stereo vision algorithms that add robustness to the detection and increase the accuracy of the measurements corresponding to relative distance and speed. Besides the stereo pair of cameras, the vehicle is equipped with a low-cost GPS and an electronic device for CAN Bus interfacing. The xFCD system has been tested in a 198-minutes sequence recorded in real traffic scenarios with different weather and illumination conditions, which represents the main contribution of this paper. The results are promising and demonstrate that the system is ready for being used as a source of traffic state information.