Context-Aware Semantic Localization with Adaptive Sensor Fusion Under Adverse Conditions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a semantic localization framework that improves autonomous vehicle accuracy by using context-aware reasoning and adaptive sensor fusion.

Contribution

The novelty lies in integrating ontology-based semantic reasoning into localization as a context-aware constraint selection problem.

Findings

The framework reduces mean and maximum localization errors by 35.6% and 47.0%, respectively.

It enhances robustness under sensor degradation and dynamic environmental conditions.

The design supports cooperative perception scenarios like V2V information sharing.

Abstract

To achieve Level 4 and above autonomous driving, vehicle localization must remain accurate and reliable under diverse real-world conditions, including complex traffic scenarios, environmental changes, and partial sensor failures. Conventional localization approaches primarily rely on geometric consistency among multi-sensor observations, which can produce physically or contextually implausible pose estimates when sensor reliability degrades or observations become ambiguous. This paper proposes a semantic localization framework that integrates ontology-based semantic reasoning directly into the localization process. The proposed approach reformulates localization as a context-aware constraint selection problem guided by semantic consistency among objects, places, and vehicle poses. By evaluating logical and contextual validity at the hypothesis generation stage, semantically invalid pose hypotheses are eliminated early, and only situation-appropriate semantic constraints are selectively applied during optimization. As a result, compared to the localization system without semantic rules, the proposed framework achieves an average reduction of approximately 35.6% in mean localization error and 47.0% in maximum localization error across both longitudinal and lateral directions. Specifically, the framework supports structured multi-sensor fusion by selectively using sensor information semantically relevant to the driving context. Through this semantics-driven hypothesis reduction, the system reduces computational complexity while enhancing localization robustness and accuracy, particularly under sensor degradation and dynamic environmental conditions. The design of the semantic reasoning structure is also adaptable to cooperative perception scenarios, such as V2V-based information sharing.

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