Sensors & Hardware Hard

Sensors & Hardware (Hard)

1 / 16

What is one of the advantages of combining camera and LiDAR data?

Lower cost

The data is more reliable

Lower latency

Data can be captured faster

Fact:
Embedded systems are lightweight computers small enough to fit inside a vehicle. They can be used for onboard processing of sensor data and AI algorithms.

2 / 16

Autonomous cars need to talk to each other and the world around them. For years, two rival technologies battled for dominance. Which are two rivaling technologies?

IEEE 802.11p (WLAN) vs. Long-Term Evolution (LTE)

Bluetooth vs. Near Field Communication (NFC)

Bluetooth vs. Long-Term Evolution (LTE)

Near Field Communication (NFC) vs. IEEE 802.11p (WLAN)

Fact:
C-V2X communication uses the 5.9 GHz band for dedicated short-range communication, enabling data exchange that does not rely solely on cellular networks.

3 / 16

Under heavy traffic conditions, what most limits the reliability of Wi-Fi P (802.11p) V2X communication?

Packet collisions caused by channel conflict

Insufficient transmission power

Limited positioning accuracy

Vehicle speed exceeding protocol limits

Fact:
Radar can directly measure object velocity using the Doppler effect, making it more reliable than LiDAR in poor weather conditions

4 / 16

Traditional pulsed LiDAR and standard automotive Radar differ in how they measure an object's velocity. What is the fundamental difference?

Pulsed LiDAR uses the Doppler shift for velocity, while Radar calculates it by comparing positions in sequential frames.

Radar measures instantaneous velocity via the Doppler frequency shift; pulsed LiDAR calculates velocity by measuring the change in distance over time.

Neither sensor can measure velocity; they only provide static 3D maps, leaving velocity calculation to the central AI.

LiDAR measures velocity by analyzing the change in color of the reflected light, while Radar uses sound waves.

Fact:
Radar can directly measure object velocity using the Doppler effect, making it more reliable than LiDAR in poor weather conditions

5 / 16

Why are GPUs critical for autonomous vehicles?

They control steering

They process high-resolution sensor data for AI algorithms

They store navigation maps

They manage battery power

Fact:
Self-driving cars use different types of sensors like cameras, radar, and LiDAR to see the world around them. These sensors work together so the car can still understand its surroundings even if one sensor is blocked or affected by weather.

6 / 16

Which issue can affect a computing platform during an ODD transition?

A drop in resources due to task reallocation

A small timestamp drift in a non-critical signal

A lost message outside the control loop

A change in cabin temperature

Fact:
Modern AVs combine LiDAR, radar and cameras so perception remains reliable even when one sensor degrades.

7 / 16

What are the main characteristic that a vehicle computer shall have?

High computational capabilities

Low size, weight and power consumption

High cost

Nicely colored

Fact:
Vehicular hardware shall be designed taking into account the overall physical constraints of the vehicle, and this means that performances can be traded for small sizes and power consumtion

8 / 16

What mechanism, developed in Dem3.2, ensures "Freedom from Interference" (FFI) on a shared GPU by managing access and preventing timing violations?

Zenoh Protocol

Hardware Acceleration Manager (HWAM) / HARE

YOLOv3 Optimizer

STPA Model

Fact:
Modern autonomous cars use powerful Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), similar to high-end gaming computers, to instantly process massive amounts of sensor data and make safe AI-driven decisions.

9 / 16

Why can redundant communication channels be useful for vehicle management?

They can help maintain service if one channel is unavailable or degraded

They make cybersecurity unnecessary

They replace all sensors

They increase traffic congestion by design

Fact:
Connected vehicles can use V2X communication to exchange safety-relevant information with other vehicles and infrastructure.

10 / 16

In wireless ranging, what does time-of-flight measurement estimate?

How long a signal takes to travel between devices

How long a driver has owned a car

How long a tire lasts

How long an app takes to install

Fact:
Ultra-Wideband can support precise short-range positioning, which is why it is increasingly discussed for digital vehicle access.

11 / 16

What is the main challenge in distributed radar synchronization?

Aligning phase and frequency references across nodes

Reducing antenna size

Avoiding color distortion

Minimizing thermal noise in cameras

Fact:
Radar hardware in distributed systems must be designed considering deployment constraints such as size, power consumption, and environmental conditions. Performance can be optimized through strategic placement and cooperative operation of multiple radar nodes. These nodes work together to provide a complete picture, so even if one unit is blocked or fails, the system still delivers accurate coverage.

12 / 16

What does field of view describe for a vehicle sensor?

The angular area the sensor can observe

The battery voltage

The number of seats

The maximum tire speed

Fact:
MEMS mirrors can help make optical scanning systems compact by steering light beams with tiny moving mechanical structures.

13 / 16

Which limitations often motivate the use of virtual sensing?

Unlimited sensor bandwidth

Perfect reliability in all weather conditions

cost constraints

Infinite processing power

Fact:
Virtual sensing complements physical sensors by estimating values that are difficult or expensive to measure directly.

14 / 16

In lightweight electric motorcycles, which component is critical for managing power safety and efficiency?

Safety-compliant inverter

Mechanical carburetor

Lead-acid battery

Analog fuel gauge

Fact:
Wearable devices such as smartwatches and sensor-equipped gloves are utilized to monitor physiological parameters like Heart Rate Variability (HRV) using PPG sensors . In the context of lightweight electric vehicles, hardware includes safety-compliant inverters designed to integrate with monitoring systems for real-time safety.

15 / 16

What computing device is used for reconfigurable digital circuits?

ASIC

FPGA

Microcontroller

DSP

Fact:
Dynamic Vision Sensors (DVS) detect changes in brightness asynchronously at each pixel, enabling ultra-low latency motion detection.

16 / 16

Why can periodic or online sensor calibration be useful during a vehicle’s lifetime?

It replaces the need for brakes

It compensates for changes such as vibration, mounting shifts, or aging

It increases tire pressure automatically

It turns cameras into radars

Fact:
Sensors such as radar, cameras, and LiDAR are most useful when their measurements are accurately aligned to the vehicle and to each other.

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Autonomous Vehicles Quiz Game

Sensors & hardware – Hard

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