Calibrating sensors mounted on an autonomous vehicle

A computer-implemented method for calibrating sensors mounted on a vehicle, the method comprising:

• identifying from a plurality of sensors mounted on the vehicle, a primary sensor and a secondary sensor;
• determining a reference angle for the primary sensor;
• determining, based on the reference angle of the primary sensor, a scan-start time representing a start of a scan and a scan-end time representing an end of a scan;
• receiving, from the primary sensor, a primary set of scan data recorded from the scan-start time to the scan-end time;
• receiving, from the secondary sensor, a secondary set of scan data, recorded from the scan-start time to the scan-end time;
• calibrating the primary and secondary sensors by determining a relative transform for transforming points between the primary set of scan data and the secondary set of scan data;
• generating a high definition map based on scan data recorded by the plurality of sensors, the scan data aggregated using the relative transform;
• and
• storing the high definition map in a computer readable storage medium.

A computer-implemented method for calibrating light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors mounted on an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

• receiving a reference angle for a primary LIDAR sensor;
• determining, based on the reference angle of the primary LIDAR sensor, a scan-start time representing a start of a scan and a scan-end time representing an end of a scan;
• receiving, from the primary LIDAR sensor, a primary set of scan data recorded from the scan-start time to the scan-end time;
• receiving, from a secondary LIDAR sensor, a secondary set of scan data, recorded from the scan-start time to the scan-end time;
• calibrating the primary and secondary LIDAR sensors by determining a relative transform for transforming points between the set of scan data and the secondary set of scan data;
• generating a high definition map based on scan data recorded by the plurality of LIDAR sensors, the scan data aggregated using the relative transform;
• and
• sending signals to the controls of the autonomous vehicle based on the high-definition map.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for calibrating sensors mounted on a vehicle encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

• identify from a plurality of sensors mounted on the vehicle, a primary sensor and a secondary sensor;
• determine a reference angle for the primary sensor;
• determine, based on the reference angle of the primary sensor, a scan-start time representing a start of a scan and a scan-end time representing an end of a scan;
• receive, from the primary sensor, a primary set of scan data recorded from the scan-start time to the scan-end time;
• receive, from the secondary sensor, a secondary set of scan data, recorded from the scan-start time to the scan-end time;
• calibrate the primary and secondary sensors by determining a relative transform for transforming points between the primary set of scan data and the secondary set of scan data;
• generating a high definition map based on scan data recorded by the plurality of sensors, the scan data aggregated using the relative transform;
• and
• store the high definition map in a computer readable storage medium.

A computer system for calibrating sensors mounted on a vehicle, the computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a computer-readable storage medium containing computer program code that when executed, causes the processor to:
• identify from a plurality of sensors mounted on the vehicle, a primary sensor and a secondary sensor;
• determine a reference angle for the primary sensor;
• determine, based on the reference angle of the primary sensor, a scan-start time representing a start of a scan and a scan-end time representing an end of a scan;
• receive, from the primary sensor, a primary set of scan data recorded from the scan-start time to the scan-end time;
• receive, from the secondary sensor, a secondary set of scan data, recorded from the scan-start time to the scan-end time;
• calibrate the primary and secondary sensors by determining a relative transform for transforming points between the primary set of scan data and the secondary set of scan data;
• generate a high definition map based on scan data recorded by the plurality of sensors, the scan data aggregated using the relative transform;
• and
• store the high definition map in a computer readable storage medium.