Development of an Inclement Weather Detection System for

Autonomous Vehicles

Mark Drago, Zi Ying Joelle Chan, Cole Halpin, Gino Nanni

Engineering Design 100 Section 022

Abstract. Autonomous vehicles were created with the intention of increasing the safety of

automobile passengers through the removal of human drivers. The various technologies that

allow autonomous vehicles to properly maneuver themselves, while effective, are hindered by

various types of inclement weather including heavy rain and snow. Using the engineering design

process, our team developed a few ideas regarding how to circumvent this issue. Background

research was conducted in order to properly understand the existing technologies that

autonomous vehicles already possess, and how they could be improved. Through various idea

generation methods, two designs were produced, a light sensor system and a water sensor

system. Evaluation of these two designs proved that the water sensor system was a superior

solution to the light sensor system, and thus the idea was furthered. This system would be

composed of a small sensor that sits under the wheel well of the vehicle and checks for moisture.

If a certain level of moisture is exceeded, the sensor tells the vehicle to reduce its speed in order

to increase the safety of the passengers. A proper prototype could not be created for testing due

to the scale of this project, but through research based testing, along with the development of the

various deliverables comprising this project; i.e., a concept of operations, a systems diagram, a

life cycle analysis, etc., the water sensor system proved itself to be a sensible, safety-increasing

technology.
 I. Introduction

Background Research. An autonomous vehicle is a vehicle that has an automatic system of

piloting that allow it to drive by itself, without any human intervention, in a normal driving

conditions. To able to drive by itself, the car needs several captors such as cameras, radars,

rangefinder with ultrasounds, lidars, inertial measurement unit, anti-crossing lines system and

GPS. Camera is used to detect obstacles, traffic lights, panels. [1] Radars detect long distance

obstacles whereas ultrasounds rangefinders detect short distance obstacles. Lidars measure the

distance between objects, the inertial measurement unit allow to detect the position of the vehicle

without satellite connection. The anti-crossing lines system verify that the car stays between the

lines while driving and the GPS is used to plan the trajet and give the directions to the car.

All these system help to visualize the environment in three dimensions and identify,

detect the object that surround the car. An artificial intelligence system in the car will treat the

informations send by these detectors and choose the best decision in fonction of the situation by

controlling the car such as flywheel, brakes and acceleration.

With all of these different safety and detection systems, one might think that autonomous

vehicles are prepared for any situation that arises on the road, that however, would be incorrect.

While they handle regular driving conditions quite well, autonomous vehicles are ill-equipped to

deal with various forms of inclement weather. The current sensor technology in these vehicles is

hampered a great deal in rain and fog due to the fact that the cameras, lidars and rangefinders

have greatly reduced visibility. There have even been instances where heavy snow and rain has

caused the lidar sensors to detect a solid object that didnt actually exist [3]. Certain automobile
companies such as Ford have been working to improve the ability of these vehicles in bad

weather using technology that compensates for the light refraction caused by rain and fog.

Another is the creation of extremely accurate maps that would be downloaded to the vehicle and

used for navigation if visibility became too low. A factor of driving in poor weather that is not

being focused on however, is the fact that autonomous vehicles currently do not have a system

with which they can actively detect the conditions of the road and adjust their speed in order to

increase the passengers safety. As a team, we feel that we can fill this void and increase the

safety of autonomous vehicles in the future.

The company Delphi is giving us the opportunity to find ways to improve autonomous

vehicles as they are today. Delphis goal is to make the future of self-driven vehicles safe,

dependable and efficient. The have already made great leaps in the technology of autonomous

vehicles and the safety of the people around them. They say their new code reduces driver

distraction through advanced sensors, cameras and algorithms that can control features in the car

by "seeing" hand gestures [5]. Along with their new code, they have given many grants to

schools so students can have the opportunity to research what they think could be improved

about self-driving cars. Overall, Delphi is actively supporting the effort to make autonomous

vehicles a normal in today's society.

Ethical Considerations. Along with every new invention comes the ethical considerations that

we need to take into account. One huge thing to think about is the idea that all cars will be

controlled by computers, so what would happen if these systems were to get hacked? If this

power were put into the wrong hands, it could lead to some destruction all across the country.
And if autonomous vehicles go worldwide, then the destruction could happen globally. Another

ethical consideration to take into account relates to the old problem with a train and people on

the tracks, commonly known as The Trolley Problem. How can a computer make a decision that

values one human life over another? Unfortunately, to answer that question, the car wouldnt

know the correct choice to make because it doesnt have the morals that a person would. Lastly,

something to think about is the way that Americans value having their license. If autonomous

vehicles were to be a normal thing, then people would no longer need to have their drivers

license. This might not sit well with the citizens of the United States, because most of them gain

a sense of satisfaction from having a drivers license.

II. Research/Design Methodology

- Problem Clarification and Design Requirements

The group was given the problem to design a type of technology that would contribute to the

overall success of autonomous vehicles. Not only that, but we were given the choice to try and

advance 3 different areas within the creation of cars as well. The 3 fields were safety,

communication, and overall eco-friendliness of the car. However, addressing multiple fields at

one time was certainly not looked down upon. As a group, we decided to address the specific

area of safety. As we looked more into the information of background vehicles, it seemed as

though many people were concerned that they would be unsafe while riding in an autonomous

vehicle. For this reason, we had the intent to create something that would ensure safety for all

passengers. After careful consideration of what we thought Delphi was seeking the most, our
group created a list of design requirements and a series of weightings to suit the needs of Delphi

and start the project in the right direction.

Design Criteria and Requirement Chart

Safety: The first, and most important Design Criteria that we chose was that what we were

creating needed to provide safety to all passengers while riding in the autonomous vehicles.

After listening to what Delphi talked about in their presentation, and researching what people felt

was missing within the autonomous vehicle, we decided ensuring a safe environment was crucial

when it comes to these vehicles. In fact, we are hoping for a 50% reduction in accidents caused

by inclement weather. Delphi talks about how they are in search for an accident free world, and

consumers main fear of purchasing autonomous vehicles is the fact that they do not would not

feel safe without any control over the vehicle. For these reasons, we also weighted safety the

highest, as that is the main goal of our group.

Cost: The overall cost of the design would also have very high importance, considering many

consumers will not want the price of cars to sky rocket. Autonomous vehicles are already going

to be expensive as it is, so the technology that we provide to cars should not lead to a dramatic

increase in the overall price. This would not be desirable for consumers. With this in mind, we

estimated that the overall cost should not be any more than an extra $1500 for consumers.

However, if the technology did ensure safety of all passengers, they may be willing to pay a bit

more. For these reasons, we gave the cost criteria a 0.15 weighting. While important, it does not

compare to some other factors.

Long Lifespan: The overall length that this design lasts is also an important thing to consider.

Like most technology that has been implemented into autonomous vehicles, the technology that

we create should last as long as the car. Which, as an estimate, should be about 10-15 years. For

most cars, many people are not fond of taking their cars to receive multiple repairs during a car's

lifespan. With this criteria, it will make autonomous vehicles that much more low maintenance,

which will be important for consumers. Not only that, but by having a long lifespan, that would

lead to longer safety insure for all passengers. With all of these factors in mind, we gave the

length of lifespan a 0.2 weighting.

Easily Repairable: If something were to happen to the technology that we create, then the

repairs should be very easy to conduct. As we talked about before, the technology should have a

lifespan equal to the vehicle, mostly because consumers do not enjoy taking their car for repairs.

This exact reason is why a repair should be extremely fast and very low cost. Also, it is
important that repairs are very easily done to ensure the optimum amount of safety. If repairs are

dreadful, a consumer may not take their car in for a while, and will be in much more danger than

we are hoping for. For these reasons, our team decided that an easily repairable criteria should

retrieve a 0.15 weighting.

Easily Integrated: As a group, we also decided that our technology should be easily

integratable. While this may not benefit the consumer, it would certainly benefit Delphi. After

listening to Delphi present the project, it seemed as though these cars are already incredibly

complex to create. By designing a technology that is very easily integrated, it will be much more

convenient for Delphi during manufacturing plans. Also, it would require much less funding,

which is always a positive. Overall, after considering multiple other design requirements, we

gave this criteria a 0.2 weighting.

- Idea Generation Process

At the start of the idea generation process, we careful evaluated each design requirement, and

came up with a couple of ideas that seems to fit both perfectly. Also, it was important to take into

account that we were interested in furthering the field of safety while thinking about the possible

designs that we would create. In the end, we came up with 2 ideas that would both work in

somewhat of a similar manner. We would name these the wavelength detection and moisture

detection systems. Here are how each one would work.

Wavelength Detection

For the wavelength detection system, the idea was to hook up a light and a wavelength detection

system underneath the vehicle. This light would be pointed towards the ground, which would

then reflect a light with a certain wavelength back into the wavelength detection system. This

detection system would then communicate with the car and the car would account for the

inclement weather immediately. Since different snow, black ice, and water would reflect

different wavelengths, the car would be able to account for different weather differently. This

would ensure optimum safety. The upsides to this type of technology are that they are able to

account for the exact type of weather immediately. This would ensure an incredible amount of

safety for the passenger. However, there are some issues with the design too. One being the

relatively high cost that would be needed to implement this system into the car. Also, the

wavelength detection does not account for the different wavelengths of different types of roads.

If it did, then the overall system would have to become increasingly complicated.

Moisture Detection

The moisture detection system is a much less complicated system than the wavelength detection.

In fact, it is quite easy. A moisture detector will be placed under the wheel well and will pick up

moisture that is flung from the tire. After this occurs, the detector will send a signal to the car,

leading to a reduction in speed automatically. The upsides to this specific technology is that the

cost would be extremely low, and would be very easy to implement into the car itself. Not only

that, but the process is relatively easy, so the technology behind it does not need to be nearly as

advanced as in the wavelength detection system. However, it will not be able to account for all of
the different types of inclement weather that a wavelength system would. It would only be

account for the different levels of moisture on the road.

- Concept Selection

Table 1: Scoring matrix of the different concepts

In the end, the group decided that the moisture detection system was the best design out of the

two. After careful consideration of each design criteria, the moisture detection just barely scored

higher than the wavelength, which is why it is the design we went with.

- When it comes to cost, the moisture detection system received a better rating because of

the type of technology that it uses. A moisture sensor is much cheaper to obtain than a

wavelength detection system. Also, the coding for a wavelength detection system would

require much more man power, considering how complicated the technology is.
 - When it comes to the safety, each design received the same grade, as we felt that any

detection in moisture would increase the overall safety drastically. Not only that, but each

would work at the same speed, so the car would be able to account for the weather

immediately for both systems.

- When it comes to the lifespan, we believed that the wavelength detection system would

last longer than the moisture detection, solely based on the position of the technology on

the vehicle. By placing the detector uer the wheel well, it is likely to be hit by debris.

This would not be the same for a wavelength detection system.

- When it comes to being easily repairable, both systems received the same grade as one

another. Since the system would just connect to the sensor, replacing the sensor would be

equally as easy for both the wavelength detection and moisture detection system.

- When it comes to being easily integrated, the wavelength detection system received a

lower score, solely based on how complicated it would be to relay messages of all

different wavelengths to the car. This would not only require the transfer of more data,

but it would also require a large amount of coding for the car to automatically adapt to

each wavelength.

In the end, it seemed as though the easier, more efficient choice was the best choice. As it would

not only be more efficient for consumer, but for Delphi as well.

Description of Testing Methods

While physically testing each individual concept would be nearly impossible with the

environment that we created this technology in, we were able to conduct research based tests that
would give us an idea of what may be wrong with the current design, which shows us what needs

to be fixed. In fact, we were able to conduct a research based test for cost, easily integratable,

and safety.

Cost: We were able to conduct a cost based test by researching the cost of a small moisture

detector. After looking around, it seems as though the approximate price for one of these

detectors would be $150 per unit. Also, we estimated the amount of code that would be needed

to implement this system into a car, and found that the cost of creating this code would likely be

somewhere around $30,000. However, it is important to note that this cost would only be a one

time thing, as the same code would be implemented into every car.

Easily Integratable: As stated previously, after estimating the amount of code that would be

needed, we found that the integration of this system would be relatively easy. Not only that, but

after consideration of the date that would need to be relayed from the sensor to the car, we found

that it would be a yes or no system, which is very desirable. The sensor either sends the

signal or not.

Safety: After evaluating the amount of accidents that are caused by inclement weather, we were

able to test how much safer our idea would actually be. In fact, 1.5 million accidents a year are

caused by inclement weather, which is about 43% of all accidents.[6] If the system cuts down

50% of these accidents, we would be able to decrease the overall accidents by 26.5%, which is

very desirable.

III. Detailed design description, Results and Description

Our design is a water sensor that will be installed under the wheel and will collect the amount of

moisture from the road. Depending on the amount of water detected, the CPU process the

information and determine how wet is the road. If the amount of water collected s too high, it

means that it is raining or snowing, if thats the case, the CPU will make the car slows down by

acting on the brake. The size of the device is pretty small and need to fit under the wheel. It will

approximately measure 1 inch X 1.5 inches. We design the project while keeping in mind to

improve the the safety of the clients, it is a service that we provide to the buyer to ease his mind

while driving.

Figure 1: Systems Diagram of the Water Sensor

The systems diagram encompasses the water sensor, CPU, brakes and engine, and electrical

subsystems in the vehicle. It relies on external systems including others in the autonomous

vehicle and the environment around the vehicle in order to properly function and complete its

tasks. There are a few resources being transported from one subsystem to another in the

boundaries of this system including water and electricity, but the most important by far is

information. Information, is an essential resource in the function of this system and is wholly

responsible for the slowing of the vehicle, which is of course the purpose of this new product.

Figure 2: Concept of Operation of the Water Sensor

Our new water sensor will be located on the underside of the wheel well of the vehicles that it is

installed in. As the concept of operations shows, it will function quite simply. When a vehicle

drives over a puddle of water, the centripetal force of the tire will pull water from the puddle up

into the wheel well where it will make contact with our sensor. Once the water contacts the

sensor, it will communicate with the rest of the vehicle, culminating in the deceleration of the

vehicle through a reduction in throttle or gentle application of the brakes.

Figure 3: Life cycle analysis of the water sensor

The water sensor is designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle due to its small size and relatively

simple design. Whether it lasts the lifetime of the vehicle or not, it is unfortunately going to end

up in a landfill, most likely with the vehicle that it is attached to. In the future, there is a

possibility that it could be made from fully recyclable materials, but as of now, that is not

possible.

Table 2: Cost of the design and its implementation

 Equipment Cost ($)

Water sensor 150

Program 30,000

Implementation ?

For the cost of the project, we could not calculate the exact amount, but we know that for one

water sensor, it costs around $150. However, we need to include the cost of the software needed

to make the car slows down. One hour of programming costs 438.39, if we say that he works 8

hours a day , five days a week during one month and that five programmers are needed , we end

up with a total of $30,000. It might look a lot, but actually this software only need to be create

once, after if we want to implement into other cars, we will just have to copy the original.Thus,

we can consider that the cost on the customer itself is almost zero. Then , we have the cost of the

implementation on the program into the car. The cost of implementation is difficult to estimate,

but as we consider that we design our project for an autonomous vehicle that already had the

electrical system, the CPU we can safely say that the cost should not be really high. At the

end, the total price of our design will cost around $150 plus the cost of implementation to the

customer.

Likelihood of Adoption

As said before, safety has always been a big ethical consideration when it comes to driving and

autonomous vehicle. According to the statistics, in 2015, 90% of accidents on the road occured

due to human error. In this 90% , 1.5 millions of accidents are reported to be weather related,

which represents 43% of the total of accidents. These 1.5 millions of accidents, 670,000 injuries
and 7,400 deaths happened due to the environment. The other half, even if it does not create

human injuries or deaths, still causes property damages. If our design is applied, it can reduce

26.5% of the total of driving accidents. Considering the low cost of the project on the customer,

and high increase of safety on the road, we can say that the probability that the customers are

willing to buy this product is high.

IV. Conclusion

Safety has always been a big issue when it comes to driving and autonomous vehicle.

With the expansion of autonomous vehicle in future, safety is an huge concern, people are

sceptical and sacred to own an autonomous vehicle, which is understandable.. Even today,

without the huge presence of autonomous cars, millions of people die every year on the road due

to various reasons such as weather, alcohol. However, 90% of these accidents are due to human

errors, and in these 90%, 43% is caused by the weather. With our water sensor and autonomous

vehicle , we can safely estimate that it will be able to prevent 26.5% of accidents on the

road.Furthermore, according to our estimations, the price of our design is affordable for the

customer and will not exceed 1000$ on the total price of the car. Autonomous cars are already

integrated with an complex electrical system and CPU that control the functions of the car, thus

the implementation of our system should be easily integratable. The water sensor is designed to

last the lifetime of the vehicle , but In case of a shock due to the debris on the road and the

sensor happened to be damaged,it is easily repairable, the only thing that need to be changed is

the sensor. Our design did meet all the design requirements at the beginning of our project, thus

we can conclude that our project is likely to be adopt by the consumers.

V. Works Cited

[1] La voiture autonome,The world press,2015,

https://projetmshlavoitureautonome.wordpress.com/fonctionnement/. Web

[2] Voiture autonome, Futura Tech,

2014,http://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/definitions/voiture-voiture-autonome-15601/.
Web.

[3] Bradbury, Danny. CenturyLinkVoice: How Autonomous Vehicles Will Navigate Bad
Weather Remains Foggy. Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 29 Nov. 2016,
www.forbes.com/sites/centurylink/2016/11/29/how-autonomous-vehicles-will-
navigate-bad-weather-remains-foggy/#4d8370d88662. Web.

[4] Lin, Patrick. The Ethics of Autonomous Cars. The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company,
8
Oct. 2013,
www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/10/the-ethics-of-autonomous-
cars/280360/. Web.

[5] Annual Report 2016. Delphi Automotive Is a Global Supplier of Vehicle Technology.,
Delphi, 1 Jan. 2016, www.delphi.com/annual-report-2016. Web.

[6] Driving Hazards. Auto Insurance,

www.autoinsurance.org/driving-hazards/.https://www.autoinsurance.org/driving-hazards/.
Web.

[7] Wi-Fi Water Sensor. Dlink, Dlink,

us.dlink.com/products/connected-home/wi-fi-water-sensor/. Web.

[8]RAIN DROP DETECTION MODULE SENSOR RAINDROPS HUMIDITY

WEATHER SENSOR YL83. Electronic
Components Online, Electronic Components Online, 2016,
www.xcluma.com/rain-drop-detection-module-sensor-raindrops-humidity-weather-sensor-yl
83. Web.

[9]Driving Hazards. Auto Insurance,

www.autoinsurance.org/driving-hazards/.https://www.autoinsurance.org/driving-hazards/.
Web.

[10]] Perlick, Christine. Autonomous Vehicles: Planning for Impacts on Cities and
Regions. Mobility Lab, Arlington
County Commuter Services, 24 July 2017,
mobilitylab.org/event/policy-implications-autonomous-vehicles-cities-regions/. Web.

[11] Kells. CEMENT ROADS FOR HARARE EDGE CLOSER. ZiMetro, 9 Mar. 2017,
zimetro.com/cement-roads-for-harare-edge-closer/. Web.

[12] Roads. LL Pelling - Asphalt Paving in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, LL Pelling, 2007,
www.llpelling.com/projects/roads/. Web.

[13] LED Wavelength vs. LED Colour,

www.rs-online.com/designspark/led-wavelength-vs-led-colour.

[14] Teardrop Clipart. Teardrop Clipart | Free Download Clip Art | Free Clip Art | on
Clipart Library, clipart-library.com/teardrop-clipart.html.

[15] Alarm red flat icon alert sign bell symbol. 123RF Stock Photos,
www.123rf.com/photo_38397271_alarm-red-flat-icon-alert-sign-bell-symbol.html.

[16] Champion of Durable Paints: STEEL-IT Product Durability FAQ. Durable Paint |
STEEL-IT High Durability Paint FAQ,
www.steel-it.com/durable-paint-27
 A. Appendix

Figure 4: A basic sketch of the original wavelength sensor idea

Stylistic Specifications:

- Font: 12 pt Times New Roman

- Margins: 1 on all sides