公开(公告)号：US11054505B2

公开(公告)日：2021-07-06

申请号：US15881049

申请日：2018-01-26

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Pierre-yves Droz ,  Gaetan Pennecot ,  Anthony Levandowski ,  Drew Eugene Ulrich ,  Zach Morriss ,  Luke Wachter ,  Dorel Ionut Iordache ,  William McCann ,  Daniel Gruver ,  Bernard Fidric ,  Samuel William Lenius

IPC: G01S7/48 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/87 ,  G01S17/86 ,  G01S17/931 ,  G01S13/931

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that relate to a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device. The LIDAR device includes a fiber laser configured to emit light within a wavelength range, a scanning portion configured to direct the emitted light in a reciprocating manner about a first axis, and a plurality of detectors configured to sense light within the wavelength range. The device additionally includes a controller configured to receive target information, which may be indicative of an object, a position, a location, or an angle range. In response to receiving the target information, the controller may cause the rotational mount to rotate so as to adjust a pointing direction of the LIDAR. The controller is further configured to cause the LIDAR to scan a field-of-view (FOV) of the environment. The controller may determine a three-dimensional (3D) representation of the environment based on data from scanning the FOV.

公开(公告)号：US20210201054A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-01

申请号：US16737263

申请日：2020-01-08

Applicant: WAYMO LLC

Inventor： Kimberly Toth ,  Jeremy Dittmer ,  Giulia Guidi ,  Peter Avram

IPC: G06K9/00 ,  G01S17/931 ,  G01S17/894 ,  H04N5/232 ,  B60R11/04

Abstract: The technology relates to an exterior sensor system for a vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous driving mode. The technology includes a close-in sensing (CIS) camera system to address blind spots around the vehicle. The CIS system is used to detect objects within a few meters of the vehicle. Based on object classification, the system is able to make real-time driving decisions. Classification is enhanced by employing cameras in conjunction with lidar sensors. The specific arrangement of multiple sensors in a single sensor housing is also important to object detection and classification. Thus, the positioning of the sensors and support components are selected to avoid occlusion and to otherwise prevent interference between the various sensor housing elements.

公开(公告)号：US20210200229A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-01

申请号：US16727724

申请日：2019-12-26

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Khaled Refaat ,  Stephane Ross

IPC: G05D1/02 ,  G05D1/00 ,  G06N3/04 ,  G06N20/00

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for generating training data for training a machine learning model to perform trajectory prediction. One of the methods includes: obtaining a training input, the training input including (i) data characterizing an agent in an environment as of a first time and (ii) data characterizing a candidate trajectory of the agent in the environment for a first time period that is after the first time. A long-term label for the candidate trajectory that indicates whether the agent actually followed the candidate trajectory for the first time period is determined. A short-term label for the candidate trajectory that indicates whether the agent intended to follow the candidate trajectory is determined. A ground-truth probability for the candidate trajectory is determined. The training input is associated with the ground-truth probability for the candidate trajectory in the training data.

公开(公告)号：US20210199806A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-01

申请号：US17134283

申请日：2020-12-26

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Jason Watson ,  Blaise Gassend

IPC: G01S17/89 ,  G06K9/00 ,  G06T7/246 ,  G01S17/931

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for occlusion detection. An example system includes a primary reflective surface and a rotatable mirror configured to rotate about a rotational axis. The rotatable mirror includes a plurality of secondary reflective surfaces. The system also includes an optical element and a camera that is configured to capture at least one image of the optical element by way of the primary reflective surface and at least one secondary reflective surface of the rotatable mirror.

公开(公告)号：US20210199777A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-01

申请号：US17103220

申请日：2020-11-24

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Youming Qin ,  Paul Karplus

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S7/00 ,  G01S17/00 ,  G01S17/931 ,  H04L5/00

Abstract: A sensing device includes a stationary portion and a rotating portion. The rotating portion is spaced apart from the stationary portion by a gap and is configured to rotate relative to the stationary portion. The rotating portion includes one or more sensors that generate data. A communication interface in the rotating portion is configured to encode the data with error correction codes to provide encoded data, modulate a radio frequency (RF) signal that includes a plurality of sub-carriers with the encoded data to provide a data-modulated RF signal (e.g., an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal), and transmit the data-modulated RF signal to the stationary portion via a wireless data transformer. The wireless data transformer includes a first conductive structure in the stationary portion and a second conductive structure in the rotating portion. The first and second conductive structures are inductively coupled together across the gap.

公开(公告)号：US20210199770A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-01

申请号：US17134277

申请日：2020-12-26

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Blaise Gassend ,  David Duff ,  Pierre-Yves Droz ,  Paul Karplus ,  Jason Watson ,  Michael Brickner ,  Alex Rivas

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/931 ,  G01S7/4914 ,  G01S7/493

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to devices, lidar systems, and vehicles that include optical redirectors. An example lidar system includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter includes at least one light-emitter device configured to transmit emission light into an environment of the lidar system. The receiver is configured to detect return light from the environment and includes a plurality of apertures, a plurality of photodetectors, and a plurality of optical redirector elements. Each optical redirector element is configured to optically couple a respective portion of return light from a respective aperture to at least one photodetector of the plurality of photodetectors.

公开(公告)号：US20210197854A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-01

申请号：US17138083

申请日：2020-12-30

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Volker Grabe ,  Colin Braley ,  Volodymyr Ivanchenko ,  Alexander Meade

IPC: B60W60/00 ,  G08G1/00 ,  G06K9/00 ,  B62D15/02 ,  G01C21/34 ,  H04W4/46

Abstract: Example embodiments relate to identification of proxy calibration targets for a fleet of sensors. An example method includes collecting, using a sensor coupled to a vehicle, data about one or more objects within an environment of the vehicle. The sensor has been calibrated using a ground-truth calibration target. The method also includes identifying, based on the collected data, at least one candidate object, from among the one or more objects, to be used as a proxy calibration target for other sensors coupled to vehicles within a fleet of vehicles. Further, the method includes providing, by the vehicle, data about the candidate object for use by one or more vehicles within the fleet of vehicles.

公开(公告)号：US20210197815A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-01

申请号：US17120199

申请日：2020-12-13

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Benjamin Pitzer

IPC: B60W30/14 ,  G01S13/58 ,  G01S13/88 ,  B60W40/105

Abstract: Example embodiments relate to measuring rotational speeds of trailer wheels using radar. A computing device may cause a vehicle radar unit to transmit radar signals toward a wheel of trailer being pulled by the vehicle. The computing device may receive radar reflections corresponding to radar signals that reflected off the wheel and determine a rotational speed of the wheel based on the radar reflections. For instance, the computing device may identify the highest or lowest frequency in the frequency spectrum of the radar reflections and use the frequency and the wheel's radius to calculate the rotational speed of the wheel. The computing device can use rotational speed measurements for trailer wheels to monitor performance of the trailer and adjust vehicle navigation accordingly. In some instances, the computing device may determine that one of the trailer wheels requires servicing based on monitoring the rotational speeds of the trailer wheels.

公开(公告)号：US11048256B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-29

申请号：US16536560

申请日：2019-08-09

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： John Wesley Dyer ,  Michael Epstein ,  Konstantin Pervyshev ,  Jonathan Lee Pedersen ,  Salil Pandit

IPC: G05D1/00 ,  G05D1/02 ,  G08G1/16 ,  B60W60/00 ,  B60W30/06 ,  B62D6/00 ,  B62D15/02

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to parking behaviors and maneuvering a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode accordingly. For instance, a pullover location for the vehicle to stop and wait for a passenger may be identified. The vehicle may be maneuvered in the autonomous driving mode in order to pull over by pulling forward into the pullover location. Whether to maneuver the vehicle in reverse in the pullover location before or after the passenger enters the vehicle may be determined based on context for the pull over with respect to the passenger. The vehicle may be maneuvered in the autonomous driving mode in reverse based on the determination of whether to maneuver the vehicle in reverse in the pullover location before or after the passenger enters the vehicle.

公开(公告)号：US11048253B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-29

申请号：US16198130

申请日：2018-11-21

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Kai Ding ,  Khaled Refaat ,  Stephane Ross

IPC: G05D1/00 ,  G05D1/02 ,  G06N5/02

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying high-priority agents in the vicinity of a vehicle and, for only those agents which are high priority agents, generating data characterizing the agents using a first prediction model. In a first aspect, a system identifies multiple agents in an environment in a vicinity of a vehicle. The system generates a respective importance score for each of the agents by processing a feature representation of each agent using an importance scoring model. The importance score for an agent characterizes an estimated impact of the agent on planning decisions generated by a planning system of the vehicle which plans a future trajectory of the vehicle. The system identifies, as high-priority agents, a proper subset of the plurality of agents with the highest importance scores.