公开(公告)号：US11887474B2

公开(公告)日：2024-01-30

申请号：US16896845

申请日：2020-06-09

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： David Harrison Silver ,  Pankaj Chaudhari

IPC: G08G1/01 ,  G05D1/02 ,  G05D1/00 ,  G06K9/00 ,  G06V20/58 ,  G06V20/56

CPC classification number: G08G1/0145 ,  G05D1/0088 ,  G05D1/0214 ,  G06V20/58 ,  G06V20/588 ,  G06T2207/30236 ,  G06T2207/30256

Abstract: The technology relates to controlling a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the method. For instance, a vehicle may be maneuvered in the autonomous driving mode using pre-stored map information identifying traffic flow directions. Data may be received from a perception system of the vehicle identifying objects in an external environment of the vehicle related to a traffic redirection not identified the map information. The received data may be used to identify one or more corridors of a traffic redirection. One of the one or more corridors may be selected based on a direction of traffic flow through the selected corridor. The vehicle may then be controlled in the autonomous driving mode to enter and follow the selected one of the one or more corridors based on the determined direction of flow of traffic through each of the one or more corridors.

公开(公告)号：US11887380B1

公开(公告)日：2024-01-30

申请号：US17144209

申请日：2021-01-08

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Jared Stephen Russell

IPC: G06V20/56 ,  G06T7/20 ,  G05D1/02 ,  G06V20/58 ,  G06V40/10 ,  G06F18/2113 ,  G06F18/214

CPC classification number: G06V20/588 ,  G05D1/0231 ,  G05D1/0276 ,  G06F18/2113 ,  G06T7/20 ,  G06V20/58 ,  G06V40/103 ,  G05D2201/0213 ,  G06F18/2148 ,  G06T2207/20081 ,  G06T2207/30196 ,  G06T2207/30241 ,  G06T2207/30261

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to detecting sidewalks adjacent to roads. In this regard, a set of potential sidewalk areas adjacent to one or more roads in a vehicle's vicinity may be determined based on map data. Topology data for the set of potential sidewalk areas may be generated based on sensor data received from a perception system of the vehicle. The set of potential sidewalks may be filtered to remove areas unlikely to include a sidewalk. The vehicle may be operated based on the filtered set of potential sidewalk areas, which may include taking precautionary measures when within a predetermined distance from any of the filtered set of potential sidewalks.

公开(公告)号：US11886187B1

公开(公告)日：2024-01-30

申请号：US17735191

申请日：2022-05-03

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Ioan-Alexandru Sucan

IPC: B60W50/02 ,  G05D1/00 ,  G05D1/02 ,  B60W50/029 ,  B60W50/023

CPC classification number: G05D1/0077 ,  B60W50/023 ,  B60W50/029 ,  G05D1/0088 ,  G05D1/0212 ,  B60W2050/0292 ,  G05D2201/0213

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to controlling a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode using trajectories. For instance, a trajectory may be received by one or more first computing devices from one or more second computing devices. While the first computing devices are controlling the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode based on the trajectory, an error may be generated by second computing devices. Whether the error is a recoverable error may be determined, and if so, the second computing devices attempt to generate a new trajectory. When the second computing devices generate the new trajectory, the vehicle may be controlled by the first computing devices according to the new trajectory.

公开(公告)号：US11885639B2

公开(公告)日：2024-01-30

申请号：US16989485

申请日：2020-08-10

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Katharine Patterson ,  Joshua Herbach ,  David Silver ,  David Margines

IPC: G01C21/00 ,  G05D1/00

CPC classification number: G01C21/3841 ,  G01C21/3822 ,  G05D1/0088 ,  G05D2201/0213

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to generating scouting objectives in order to update map information used to control a fleet of vehicles in an autonomous driving mode. For instance, a notification from a vehicle of the fleet identifying a feature and a location of the feature may be received. A first bound for a scouting area may be identified based on the location of the feature. A second bound for the scouting area may be identified based on a lane closest to the feature. A scouting objective may be generated for the feature based on the first bound and the second bound.

公开(公告)号：US11885626B2

公开(公告)日：2024-01-30

申请号：US17134491

申请日：2020-12-27

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Eric Friedman ,  Saksiri Tanphaichitr ,  Donghyun Kim ,  Ben Wang ,  Cameron Blume ,  Mishika Vora ,  Gaurav Agarwal

IPC: G01C21/34 ,  B60W60/00 ,  G01C21/00 ,  G01C21/36 ,  G06V20/56

CPC classification number: G01C21/3438 ,  B60W60/001 ,  G01C21/3605 ,  G01C21/3804 ,  G06V20/56

Abstract: An example method includes setting an initial pickup location. The method includes causing an autonomous vehicle to navigate towards the initial pickup location. The method includes periodically generating a plurality of candidate updated pickup locations. The method includes selecting a suggested pickup location from the plurality of candidate pickup locations that achieves a benchmark for reducing one or more of a time and a distance associated with the initial pickup location for one or more of the autonomous vehicle and the client device. The method includes determining that the suggested pickup location satisfies a set of pre-update checks for limiting a number of pickup location updates. The method includes responsive to (i) selecting the suggested pickup location, and (ii) determining that the suggested pickup location satisfies the set of pre-update checks, causing the autonomous vehicle to navigate to the suggested pickup location.

公开(公告)号：US11880758B1

公开(公告)日：2024-01-23

申请号：US17391627

申请日：2021-08-02

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Congcong Li ,  Ury Zhilinsky ,  Yun Jiang ,  Zhaoyin Jia

IPC: G06N3/04 ,  G06N3/08 ,  G06N3/044 ,  G06N3/045

CPC classification number: G06N3/044 ,  G06N3/045 ,  G06N3/08

Abstract: Disclosed herein are neural networks for generating target classifications for an object from a set of input sequences. Each input sequence includes a respective input at each of multiple time steps, and each input sequence corresponds to a different sensing subsystem of multiple sensing subsystems. For each time step in the multiple time steps and for each input sequence in the set of input sequences, a respective feature representation is generated for the input sequence by processing the respective input from the input sequence at the time step using a respective encoder recurrent neural network (RNN) subsystem for the sensing subsystem that corresponds to the input sequence. For each time step in at least a subset of the multiple time steps, the respective feature representations are processed using a classification neural network subsystem to select a respective target classification for the object at the time step.

公开(公告)号：US20240012447A1

公开(公告)日：2024-01-11

申请号：US18473591

申请日：2023-09-25

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： David Sobel ,  Pieter Kaspenberg ,  Pierre-Yves Droz ,  Srikanth Muroor

IPC: G06F1/12 ,  G06F1/08

CPC classification number: G06F1/12 ,  G06F1/08

Abstract: A method and system to provide timebase synchronization for multiple processors in a multi-processor sensor system, where each processor operates according to a respective reference clock, and where the processors' respective reference clocks are off sync from each other. An example method includes simultaneously injecting a synchronization pulse respectively into the multiple processors. Further, the method includes recording for each processor, according to the processor's respective reference clock, a respective synchronization-pulse timestamp of the simultaneously injected synchronization pulse, comparing the respective synchronization-pulse timestamps recorded for the processors, and, based on the comparing, computing for each processor a respective time offset. Additionally, the method includes using the per-processor computed time offsets as a basis to provide a synchronized timebase across the processors.

公开(公告)号：US20240011778A1

公开(公告)日：2024-01-11

申请号：US18223239

申请日：2023-07-18

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Peter Colijn ,  Joshua Seth Herbach ,  Matthew Paul McNaughton

IPC: G06Q10/0631

CPC classification number: G06Q10/06311

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide systems and methods for providing suggested locations for pick up and destination locations. Pick up locations may include locations where an autonomous vehicle can pick up a passenger, while destination locations may include locations where the vehicle can wait for an additional passenger, stop and wait for a passenger to perform some task and return to the vehicle, or for the vehicle to drop off a passenger. As such, a request for a vehicle may be received from a client computing device. The request may identify a first location. A set of one or more suggested locations may be selected by comparing the predetermined locations to the first location. The set may be provided to the client computing device.

公开(公告)号：US20240004039A1

公开(公告)日：2024-01-04

申请号：US18368928

申请日：2023-09-15

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Blaise Gassend ,  Stephen Sulack ,  Jonathan Souliere

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G02B26/10

CPC classification number: G01S7/4817 ,  G02B26/101 ,  G01S7/4813 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and vehicles that facilitate a light detection and ranging (LIDAR or lidar) system that may take advantage of “dead angles” where the lidar system is oriented toward support structure or another “uninteresting” feature. In such scenarios, light pulses may be redirected toward more-interesting features in the environment. An example system includes a lidar system configured to emit light pulses into an environment of the system so as to provide information indicative of objects within a default field of view. The system also includes a reflective surface optically coupled to the lidar system. The reflective surface is configured to reflect at least a portion of the emitted light pulses so as to provide an extended field of view. The lidar system is further configured to provide information indicative of objects within the extended field of view.

公开(公告)号：US11860626B2

公开(公告)日：2024-01-02

申请号：US17412599

申请日：2021-08-26

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Stephanie McArthur ,  Mark Alexander Shand ,  Colin Braley

IPC: G05D1/00 ,  G01S7/40 ,  G01S7/497 ,  G05D1/02 ,  G01C21/20 ,  G01S7/52

CPC classification number: G05D1/0055 ,  G01C21/20 ,  G01S7/40 ,  G01S7/497 ,  G01S7/52004 ,  G05D1/0255 ,  G05D1/0257 ,  G05D1/0259

Abstract: An example method involves detecting a sensor-testing trigger. Detecting the sensor-testing trigger may comprise determining that a vehicle is within a threshold distance to a target in an environment of the vehicle. The method also involves obtaining sensor data collected by a sensor of the vehicle after the detection of the sensor-testing trigger. The sensor data is indicative of a scan of a region of the environment that includes the target. The method also involves comparing the sensor data with previously-collected sensor data indicating detection of the target by one or more sensors during one or more previous scans of the environment. The method also involves generating performance metrics related to the sensor of the vehicle based on the comparison.