Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars

Lorant Szabo; Zoltán Weltsch; Andrea Major

doi:10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718

Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars

Abstract

The development of autonomous transportation systems represents a critical step toward achieving intelligent and reliable mobility. Ensuring accurate, real-time environmental perception and the robust detection of unexpected or rare events remains a major challenge for autonomous vehicles operating in complex and dynamic environments. To address this, we propose a novel processing pipeline that constructs Bird’s Eye View (BEV) representations from raw 3D LiDAR point clouds using both intensity and height map channels, thereby retaining essential geometric and reflective features. On top of these BEV representations, an optimized YOLOv11-based deep learning model is applied for high-precision object detection. A key contribution of our work is the integration of a real-time Out-of-Distribution (OOD) detection module, which employs lightweight statistical techniques in conjunction with learned feature representations to ensure minimal computational overhead while maintaining operational robustness. The proposed architecture enables the reliable identification of standard traffic objects as well as the detection of atypical or previously unseen events, such as overturned vehicles or unknown obstacles. Experimental evaluation on representative driving scenarios demonstrates that our method achieves approximately 95% detection accuracy, outperforming conventional baselines in both speed and reliability. Overall, the results highlight the potential of combining state-of-the-art deep neural detection frameworks with efficient, statistically grounded OOD analysis for enhancing the safety and trustworthiness of autonomous vehicle perception systems.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Automotive Mechatronics and Autonomous Systems

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Lorant Szabo ^*
Hungary

Zoltán Weltsch
Hungary

Andrea Major
Hungary

Publication Date

December 28, 2025

Submission Date

November 3, 2025

Acceptance Date

December 16, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 5 Number: 1st Future of Vehicles Conf.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA78SN56PX

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Szabo, L., Weltsch, Z., & Major, A. (2025). Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars. Engineering Perspective, 5(1st Future of Vehicles Conf.), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718

AMA

1.Szabo L, Weltsch Z, Major A. Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars. engineeringperspective. 2025;5(1st Future of Vehicles Conf.):28-36. doi:10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718

Chicago

Szabo, Lorant, Zoltán Weltsch, and Andrea Major. 2025. “Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars”. Engineering Perspective 5 (1st Future of Vehicles Conf.): 28-36. https://doi.org/10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718.

EndNote

Szabo L, Weltsch Z, Major A (December 1, 2025) Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars. Engineering Perspective 5 1st Future of Vehicles Conf. 28–36.

IEEE

[1]L. Szabo, Z. Weltsch, and A. Major, “Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars”, engineeringperspective, vol. 5, no. 1st Future of Vehicles Conf., pp. 28–36, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718.

ISNAD

Szabo, Lorant - Weltsch, Zoltán - Major, Andrea. “Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars”. Engineering Perspective 5/1st Future of Vehicles Conf. (December 1, 2025): 28-36. https://doi.org/10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718.

JAMA

1.Szabo L, Weltsch Z, Major A. Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars. engineeringperspective. 2025;5:28–36.

MLA

Szabo, Lorant, et al. “Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars”. Engineering Perspective, vol. 5, no. 1st Future of Vehicles Conf., Dec. 2025, pp. 28-36, doi:10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718.

Vancouver

1.Lorant Szabo, Zoltán Weltsch, Andrea Major. Real-Time Out of Distribution Detection in 2D Object Detection for Autonomous Cars. engineeringperspective. 2025 Dec. 1;5(1st Future of Vehicles Conf.):28-36. doi:10.64808/engineeringperspective.1814718