EAAI Journal 2026 Journal Article
Multivariate feature learning and associative spatial information enhancement for snow object detection in autonomous driving
- Jinlai Zhang
- Mingchao Xiang
- Yongheng Hu
- Wei Hao
- Linlong Lei
- Kefu Yi
Object detection in autonomous driving systems based on artificial intelligence is particularly challenging in adverse weather conditions, with snow being one of the most severe. The occlusion and distortion caused by snowfall significantly degrade detection performance, leading to potential failures in critical decision-making processes. To address these challenges, Multivariate feature learning with Associative spatial information enhancement and Lighter fusion Detection model (MAL-Det) was introduced, a lightweight and efficient object detection model specifically designed for snow-affected environments and resource-constrained devices based on You Only Look Once version 8 small (YOLOv8s). MAL-Det incorporates three key innovations: Multivariate Feature Learning (MFL) Module, Associative Spatial Information (ASI) Enhancement Module and Lighter Fusion Cross Stage Partial 2 with Focus (LF_C2f) mechanism. Through extensive ablation studies on the real-world snowy object detection (RSOD) dataset, the efficacy of each module has been demonstrated. Comparative experiments with state-of-the-art (SOTA) models further validate MAL-Det’s superior performance in snow object detection, where MAL-Det achieves a mean Average Precision (mAP) of 59. 8% at Intersection over Union (IoU) 0. 50 and 40. 7% at IoU 0. 50-0. 95, positioning it as a promising solution for enhancing the safety and reliability of autonomous driving systems in snowy conditions.