概要

This paper describes the indoor snowfall simulation chamber and its application for evaluating visibility performance of vision-based sensors affected by environmental conditions. First, vision-based safety sensors are introduced and outdoor environmental requirements for these sensors are discussed. And also, the relationship between the visibility and the performance of vision based sensors is discussed and the current problems for evaluating visibility performance are described. Next, the indoor snowfall simulation method using expanded polystyrene beads (EPB) is explained and the spectral transmission measurement equipment for evaluating the visibility reduction is presented. Finally, the visibility reduction caused by simulated and artificial snowfall are measured for verifying the proposed indoor snowfall simulation chamber. Preliminary experiments are also carried out in both snowfall systems in order to evaluate various kinds of vision-based safety sensors for personal care robots.