公开(公告)号：US11046317B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-29

申请号：US16427520

申请日：2019-05-31

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Aishwarya Parasuram ,  Brandon Luders

IPC: B60W30/18 ,  B60W30/095 ,  G06K9/00

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to a method of controlling a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode at a multi-way stop intersection. For instance, that the vehicle has come to a stop at a multi-stop intersection may be determined. At least one road user at the intersection may be identified. Based on the determination that the vehicle has come to the stop, a period of time to wait for the at least one road user to proceed through the intersection may be determined. After waiting the determined period of time, that the at least one road user has not begun to proceed through the intersection may be determined. Based on the determination that the at least one user has not begun to proceed through the intersection, the vehicle may be controlled in the autonomous driving mode in order to proceed through the intersection.

公开(公告)号：US11037475B1

公开(公告)日：2021-06-15

申请号：US16837225

申请日：2020-04-01

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： YooJung Ahn ,  Jared S. Gross ,  Xintao Chen

IPC: B60Q1/04 ,  B60Q1/08 ,  B60Q1/06 ,  G09F21/04 ,  G08G1/00 ,  B60L15/40 ,  H02J7/00 ,  B60K35/00 ,  G01R31/371 ,  B60L58/12 ,  B60Q1/50

Abstract: Because of the nature of autonomous vehicles, and in particular that they do not require manual inputs from a driver or passenger to control braking and steering, autonomous vehicle can include features that may not necessarily be useful or practical in a typical non-autonomous (or semi-autonomous vehicle) that would require such manual input.

公开(公告)号：US11034351B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-15

申请号：US16238135

申请日：2019-01-02

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Jared Stephen Russell ,  Dmitri A. Dolgov ,  Nathaniel Fairfield ,  Laura Estelle Lindzey ,  Christopher Paul Urmson

IPC: B60W30/18 ,  G05D1/02 ,  G08G1/00 ,  G08G1/0962 ,  G08G1/0967 ,  G01C21/34 ,  G05D1/00 ,  G08G1/16

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to generating a speed plan for an autonomous vehicle. As an example, the vehicle is maneuvered in an autonomous driving mode along a route using pre-stored map information. This information identifies a plurality of keep clear regions where the vehicle should not stop but can drive through in the autonomous driving mode. Each keep clear region of the plurality of keep clear regions is associated with a priority value. A subset of the plurality of keep clear regions is identified based on the route. A speed plan for stopping the vehicle is generated based on the priority values associated with the keep clear regions of the subset. The speed plan identifies a location for stopping the vehicle. The speed plan is used to stop the vehicle in the location.

公开(公告)号：US20210173052A1

公开(公告)日：2021-06-10

申请号：US16707127

申请日：2019-12-09

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Caner Onal ,  Nirav Dharia

IPC: G01S7/4863 ,  H01L27/144 ,  H01L31/107 ,  H01L31/0232

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to devices, light detection and ranging (lidar) systems, and vehicles involving solid-state, single photon detectors. An example device includes a substrate defining a primary plane and a plurality of photodetector cells disposed along the primary plane. The plurality of photodetector cells includes at least one large-area cell and at least one small-area cell. The large-area cell has a first area and the small-area cell has a second area and the first area is greater than the second area. The device also includes read out circuitry coupled to the plurality of photodetector cells. The read out circuitry is configured to provide an output signal based on incident light detected by the plurality of photodetector cells.

公开(公告)号：US11031682B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-08

申请号：US16984899

申请日：2020-08-04

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Jamal Izadian

IPC: H01Q1/32 ,  G01S7/02 ,  G01S13/931 ,  H01Q13/20 ,  H01Q15/24

Abstract: An antenna includes a plurality of waveguide antenna elements arranged in a first array configured to operate with a first polarization. The antenna also includes a plurality of waveguide output ports arranged in a second array configured to operate with a second polarization. The second polarization is different from the first polarization. The antenna further includes a polarization-modification layer with channels defined therein. The polarization-modification layer is disposed between the waveguide antenna elements and the waveguide output ports. The channels are oriented at a first angle with respect to the waveguide antenna elements and at a second angle with respect to the waveguide output ports. The channels are configured to receive input electromagnetic waves having the first polarization and transmit output electromagnetic waves having a first intermediate polarization. The waveguide output ports are configured to receive input electromagnetic waves and radiate electromagnetic waves having the second polarization.

公开(公告)号：US11029396B1

公开(公告)日：2021-06-08

申请号：US16262713

申请日：2019-01-30

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Pierre-Yves Droz ,  Samuel William Lenius

IPC: G01S7/48 ,  G01S7/4861 ,  H04N5/341 ,  H04N5/3745 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/497 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system can emit light toward an environment and detect responsively reflected light to determine a distance to one or more points in the environment. The reflected light can be detected by a plurality of plurality of photodiodes that are reverse-biased using a high voltage. Signals from the plurality of reverse-biased photodiodes can be amplified by respective transistors and applied to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The signal from a particular photodiode can be applied to the ADC by biasing a respective transistor corresponding to the particular photodiode while not biasing transistors corresponding to other photodiodes. The gain of each photodiode/transistor pair can be controlled by adjusting the bias voltage applied to each photodiode using a digital-to-analog converter. The gain of each photodiode/transistor pair can be controlled based on the detected temperature of each photodiode.

公开(公告)号：US20210150807A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-20

申请号：US17099589

申请日：2020-11-16

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Yin Zhou ,  Dragomir Anguelov ,  Zhangjie Cao

IPC: G06T17/00 ,  G06N3/04 ,  G06K9/00 ,  G06N20/00

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for generating realistic full-scene point clouds. One of the methods includes obtaining an initial scene point cloud characterizing an initial scene in an environment; obtaining, for each of one or more objects, an object point cloud that characterizes the object; and processing a first input comprising the initial scene point cloud and the one or more object point clouds using a first neural network that is configured to process the first input to generate a final scene point cloud that characterizes a transformed scene that has the one or more objects added to the initial scene.

公开(公告)号：US20210150350A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-20

申请号：US17099656

申请日：2020-11-16

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Jiyang Gao ,  Yi Shen ,  Hang Zhao ,  Chen Sun

IPC: G06N3/08

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for agent trajectory prediction using vectorized inputs.

公开(公告)号：US11008011B2

公开(公告)日：2021-05-18

申请号：US16563017

申请日：2019-09-06

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Ethan Stark ,  Daniel Trawick Egnor ,  Ryan Cash ,  Nolan McPeek-Bechtold

IPC: G01C22/00 ,  B60W30/188 ,  G05D1/00 ,  B60W10/06 ,  B60W10/02 ,  G05D1/02

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to stopping a vehicle. For instance, a vehicle is controlled in an autonomous driving mode by generating first commands for acceleration control and sending the first commands to an acceleration and/or steering actuator of an acceleration system of the vehicle in order to cause the vehicle to accelerate. Acceleration and/or orientation of the vehicle is monitored while the vehicle is being operated in an autonomous driving mode. The monitored acceleration and/or orientation is compared with the first commands. An error with the acceleration and/or steering system is determined based on the comparison. When the error is determined, the vehicle is controlled in the autonomous driving mode by generating second commands which do not require any acceleration and/or steering.

公开(公告)号：US20210143606A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-13

申请号：US17152026

申请日：2021-01-19

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Paul Karplus ,  Matthew Last

IPC: H01S5/02326 ,  H01S5/042 ,  H01S5/02 ,  H01S5/02253 ,  H01S5/02355

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical systems and methods for their manufacture. An example method includes coupling a first surface of a light-emitter substrate to a reference surface of a carrier substrate. The method also includes registering a mold structure with respect to the reference surface of the carrier substrate. Furthermore, the method includes using the mold structure to form an optical material over at least a portion of the light-emitter substrate. The optical material is shaped according to a shape of the mold structure and includes at least one registration feature. The method also includes coupling an optical lens element to the optical material such that the optical lens element is registered to the at least one registration feature.