Snowfall simulation for evaluating visibility performance of vision based sensors using expanded polystyrene beads — Nozzle design for snowfall simulation

In this paper, the snowfall simulation equipment using expanded polystyrene beads (EPB) is described, which is for evaluating visibility performance of vision based sensors affected by visibility. The snowfall simulation equipment proposed in this paper generates vortex flow when it feeds EPB snowflakes with compressed air, then the EPB snowflakes are equally distributed to multiple ejection port by the vortex flow, and the snowflake is blow away in the specific space, in which the width of the space is controlled by the direction of each ejection port. Based on this process, the EPB snowflakes inhaled by the suction pipe are blow away from the multiple ejection ports of the branch nozzle, and they are piled up on the bottom, finally they are recycled for the snowfall simulation.