公开(公告)号：US12204053B2

公开(公告)日：2025-01-21

申请号：US18487768

申请日：2023-10-16

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Luke Wachter ,  Pierre-Yves Droz ,  Clayton Kunz

IPC: G01S7/4861 ,  G01S7/497 ,  G01S17/04 ,  G01S17/931

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to identify a presence of a volumetric medium in an environment associated with a LIDAR system. In some implementations, the LIDAR system may emit a light pulse into the environment, receive a return light pulse corresponding to reflection of the emitted light pulse by a surface in the environment, and determine a pulse width of the received light pulse. The LIDAR system may compare the determined pulse width with a reference pulse width, and determine an amount of pulse elongation of the received light pulse. The LIDAR system may classify the surface as either an object to be avoided by a vehicle or as air particulates associated with the volumetric medium based, at least in part, on the determined amount of pulse elongation.

公开(公告)号：US20230017983A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-19

申请号：US17379696

申请日：2021-07-19

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Clayton Kunz ,  Timothy Campbell

IPC: G01S7/292 ,  G01S13/86 ,  G01S13/931 ,  G01S13/58 ,  G01S7/295

Abstract: Example embodiments relate to radar reflection filtering using a vehicle sensor system. A computing device may detect a first object in radar data from a radar unit coupled to a vehicle and, responsive to determining that information corresponding to the first object is unavailable from other vehicle sensors, use the radar data to determine a position and a velocity for the first object relative to the radar unit. The computing device may also detect a second object aligned with a vector extending between the radar unit and the first object. Based on a geometric relationship between the vehicle, the first object, and the second object, the computing device may determine that the first object is a self-reflection of the vehicle caused at least in part by the second object and control the vehicle based on this determination.

公开(公告)号：US20250052859A1

公开(公告)日：2025-02-13

申请号：US18930591

申请日：2024-10-29

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Clayton Kunz ,  Timothy Campbell

IPC: G01S7/292 ,  G01S7/295 ,  G01S13/58 ,  G01S13/86 ,  G01S13/931

Abstract: Example embodiments relate to radar reflection filtering using a vehicle sensor system. A computing device may detect a first object in radar data from a radar unit coupled to a vehicle and, responsive to determining that information corresponding to the first object is unavailable from other vehicle sensors, use the radar data to determine a position and a velocity for the first object relative to the radar unit. The computing device may also detect a second object aligned with a vector extending between the radar unit and the first object. Based on a geometric relationship between the vehicle, the first object, and the second object, the computing device may determine that the first object is a self-reflection of the vehicle caused at least in part by the second object and control the vehicle based on this determination.

公开(公告)号：US20240286626A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-29

申请号：US18173150

申请日：2023-02-23

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Mark Calleija ,  Clayton Kunz ,  Matthew Langford ,  Ramadev Hukkeri ,  Daniel Rothenberg

IPC: B60W50/06 ,  B60W60/00

CPC classification number: B60W50/06 ,  B60W60/001 ,  B60W2420/408 ,  B60W2554/80 ,  B60W2555/20

Abstract: Example embodiments relate to self-supervisory and automatic response techniques and systems. A computing system may use sensor data from an autonomous vehicle sensor to detect an object in the environment of the vehicle as the vehicle navigates a path. The computing system may then determine a detection distance between the object and the sensor responsive to detecting the object. The computing system may then perform a comparison between the detection distance and a baseline detection distance that depends on one or more prior detections of given objects that are in the same classification group as the object. The computing system may then adjust a control strategy for the vehicle based on the comparison.

公开(公告)号：US11513198B2

公开(公告)日：2022-11-29

申请号：US16240126

申请日：2019-01-04

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Luke Wachter ,  Pierre-Yves Droz ,  Clayton Kunz

IPC: G01S17/02 ,  G01S17/93 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G01S7/497 ,  G01S7/4861 ,  G01S17/04 ,  G01S17/931

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to identify a presence of a volumetric medium in an environment associated with a LIDAR system. In some implementations, the LIDAR system may emit a light pulse into the environment, receive a return light pulse corresponding to reflection of the emitted light pulse by a surface in the environment, and determine a pulse width of the received light pulse. The LIDAR system may compare the determined pulse width with a reference pulse width, and determine an amount of pulse elongation of the received light pulse. The LIDAR system may classify the surface as either an object to be avoided by a vehicle or as air particulates associated with the volumetric medium based, at least in part, on the determined amount of pulse elongation.

公开(公告)号：US20250110218A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-03

申请号：US18979939

申请日：2024-12-13

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Luke Wachter ,  Pierre-Yves Droz ,  Clayton Kunz

IPC: G01S7/4861 ,  G01S7/497 ,  G01S17/04 ,  G01S17/931

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to identify a presence of a volumetric medium in an environment associated with a LIDAR system. In some implementations, the LIDAR system may emit a light pulse into the environment, receive a return light pulse corresponding to reflection of the emitted light pulse by a surface in the environment, and determine a pulse width of the received light pulse. The LIDAR system may compare the determined pulse width with a reference pulse width, and determine an amount of pulse elongation of the received light pulse. The LIDAR system may classify the surface as either an object to be avoided by a vehicle or as air particulates associated with the volumetric medium based, at least in part, on the determined amount of pulse elongation.

公开(公告)号：US20240111054A1

公开(公告)日：2024-04-04

申请号：US18194758

申请日：2023-04-03

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Blaise Gassend ,  Nicholas Armstrong-Crews ,  Andreas Wendel ,  Benjamin T. Ingram ,  Clayton Kunz

IPC: G01S17/89 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/10

CPC classification number: G01S17/89 ,  G01S7/4817 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: One example system includes a first light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device that scans a first field-of-view defined by a first range of pointing directions associated with the first LIDAR device. The system also includes a second LIDAR device that scans a second FOV defined by a second range of pointing directions associated with the second LIDAR device. The second FOV at least partially overlaps the first FOV. The system also includes a first controller that adjusts a first pointing direction of the first LIDAR device. The system also includes a second controller that adjusts a second pointing direction of the second LIDAR device synchronously with the adjustment of the first pointing direction of the first LIDAR device.

公开(公告)号：US20230350064A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-02

申请号：US17731131

申请日：2022-04-27

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Xiaoxiang Hu ,  Clayton Kunz ,  David Gallup ,  Grigory Dzhavadyan

IPC: G01S17/89 ,  G06T7/521 ,  G01S7/48 ,  G01S17/18

CPC classification number: G01S17/89 ,  G06T7/521 ,  G01S7/4802 ,  G01S17/18 ,  G06T2207/10028 ,  G06T2207/30252

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for using a surfel map to predict reflections in an environment. One of the methods includes receiving a surfel map comprising a plurality of surfels, wherein each surfel corresponds to a respective different location in an environment. Sensor data for one or more locations in the environment is obtained. The sensor data has been captured by one or more sensors of a vehicle. A range map that represents a projection of the surfel map is generated. Range data in the sensor data is compared to the range map to identify one or more locations in the range map that do not match the range data in the sensor data. The one or more locations in the range map that do not match the range data in the sensor data is classified as reflections.

公开(公告)号：US11592575B2

公开(公告)日：2023-02-28

申请号：US16723693

申请日：2019-12-20

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Clayton Kunz

IPC: G01C3/08 ,  G01S17/931 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/02 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S17/06 ,  G01S17/58 ,  G01S17/93

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems, vehicles, and methods for adjusting a pointing direction and/or a scanning region of a lidar. An example method includes determining a plurality of points of interest within an environment of a vehicle. The method also includes assigning, to each point of interest of the plurality of points of interest, a respective priority score. The method additionally includes partitioning at least a portion of the environment of the vehicle into a plurality of sectors. Each sector of the plurality of sectors includes at least one point of interest. For each sector of the plurality of sectors, the method includes adjusting a scanning region of a lidar unit based on the respective sector and causing the lidar unit to scan the respective sector.

公开(公告)号：US20220155415A1

公开(公告)日：2022-05-19

申请号：US17544242

申请日：2021-12-07

Applicant: Waymo LLC

Inventor： Clayton Kunz ,  Christian Lauterbach ,  Roshni Cooper

IPC: G01S7/48 ,  G05D1/00 ,  G05D1/02 ,  G01S7/487

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to detecting spurious objects. For instance, a model may be trained using raining data including a plurality of LIDAR data points generated by a LIDAR sensor of a vehicle. Each given LIDAR data point includes location information and intensity information, and is associated with waveform data for that given LIDAR data point. At least one of the plurality of LIDAR data points is further associated with a label identifying spurious objects through which the vehicle is able to drive. The model and/or a plurality of heuristics may then be provided to a vehicle in order to allow the vehicle to determine LIDAR data points that correspond to spurious objects. These LIDAR data points may then be filtered from sensor data, and the filtered sensor data may be used to control the vehicle in an autonomous driving mode.