Estimation of Water Depth on Road Surfaces Using Accelerometric Signals

The paper presents an experimental study conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using accelerometers as an indirect means to estimate water depths on road surfaces. It makes use of the vibration of the vehicle’s wheel arch due to water droplets projected by a tire rolling on a wet road surface. A trailer equipped with a wheel and towed by a van was used. The test setups to spread water on the road surface and before the test wheel, measure the water depth and visualize the water spray are described. The test program, conducted on a test track closed to the traffic, includes three surfaces and two speeds. Visualization of water flows by means of high-speed cameras makes it possible to choose a suitable location for the accelerometers. It turns out that signals provided by the accelerometers are affected by the trailer’s movement; a filtering method has been successfully developed to remove noises. Results show a tight relationship between the mean amplitude of accelerometric signals and actual water depths. Discussions are made in terms of effects of the vehicle speed and the road surface texture. Perspectives for using the developed system to improve passenger safety under autonomous driving conditions are presented.