Innovation Lab

rFpro is currently developing enhanced vehicle interior models with sub-structures that are invisible to the human eye and to cameras but critical for radar-based sensing. The metal framework within seats, for example, is now modelled so radar systems can detect realistic returns. rFpro’s AV elevate In Cabin object library includes items commonly found inside vehicles, such as rucksacks, laptops, child seats, pets and personal belongings. Each object has accurate material properties across the visible, IR and radar spectrum.

Skin simulation is also being improved with higher-detail facial models and IR reflectivity properties that vary across different facial regions and across different skin tones, supporting systems that assess driver state from facial features under diverse real-world conditions.

A high-density bone rig within rFpro’s human models enables fine control of facial and limb movements, supporting simulation of the macro and micro expressions that DMS and OMS must detect. This includes ‘owl movement’, where the driver turns their head, and ‘lizard movement’, where only the eyes shift direction.

Environmental variables within the cabin that affect sensor behaviour are also accounted for. For example, the opening and closing of windows, which fundamentally changes how light and radar energy travel through the cabin, and simulating smoking or vaping.

DMS typically relies on near-infrared cameras operating at 940nm, while OMS commonly uses RGB-IR cameras, often complemented by radar sensors, for broader scene understanding and occupant detection. rFpro’s new IR camera sensor integration accurately models the energy emitted by the camera and calculates how it interacts with every cabin surface. Specific IR reflectivity and radar properties have been assigned to all interior materials, including the driver’s skin, seats and windows.

These material characteristics are now being correlated with laboratory measurements conducted under the Sim4CamSens research programme, with the National Physical Laboratory and Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult involved in testing.

AV elevate In Cabin operates within rFpro’s established simulation architecture, supporting Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL), Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) configurations. rFpro’s AV elevate In Cabin is the only simulation platform supporting both external and in-cabin sensor development within DIL, SIL and HIL environments, giving engineering teams a single toolchain across the full vehicle sensing scope.

rFpro’s new AV elevate In Cabin module also contains a library of pre-configured Euro NCAP test scenarios which covers all base driver and occupant monitoring assessments. The platform easily enables users to create their own test scenarios using the integrated bone control system.

rFpro’s unique solution stack gives developers the scale and repeatability to tune, train and test in-cabin systems across the full breadth of plausible scenarios, ranging from everyday variations to edge cases that would be difficult, unsafe or impractical to reproduce physically. For example:

• Drivers wearing sunglasses or tinted lenses that obscure eye-tracking
• Direct sunlight or rapid light transitions at tunnel entry and exit
• Unrestrained pets moving within the cabin
• Children seated on an adult’s lap or with blankets obscuring the face
• Smoking and vaping behaviours that affect IR camera visibility
• Passengers with feet on the dashboard and non-standard seating positions
• Seatbelt compliance across all occupant positions
• Mobile phone use in varying hand positions
• Multiple occupants of varying body sizes and skin tones

Beyond DMS and OMS, understanding who is in the cabin and what they are doing is increasingly important for autonomous vehicle operations. This is critical from a safety perspective, such as adaptive restraint deployment, but also from an experiential point of view. Sensor systems are the building blocks of occupant-aware climate and noise cancelling audio systems, for example. rFpro is actively partnering with sensor developers and OEMs to shape the direction of AV elevate In Cabin’s development. To discuss collaboration or request a demonstration of current capabilities, contact info@rfpro.com.