Systems and methods for controlling a programmable traffic light

A traffic light control system configured to provide instructions to at least one traffic light for testing performance of an autonomous vehicle as it approaches the at least one traffic light, the system comprising:

• at least one controller comprising a transceiver in communication with the at least one traffic light and a computer-readable memory comprising a plurality of operation routines for the at least one traffic light, the controller being configured to:
• select at least one operation routine of the plurality of operation routines on the computer-readable memory;
• and
• provide a control signal via the transceiver to the at least one traffic light to control operation of the at least one traffic light according to the selected at least one operation routine, wherein controlling operation of the at least one traffic light comprises turning on or off at least one of a plurality of light emitters of the at least one traffic light and/or changing a brightness, frequency, or intensity of at least one of the plurality of light emitters of the at least one traffic light;
• and
• an exhaust machine for generating at least one of fog, smoke, dust, mist, or expelled particles directed towards the at least one traffic light, wherein the at least one controller is configured to activate the exhaust machine as the at least one autonomous vehicle approaches the at least one traffic light.

A traffic light control system configured to provide instructions to at least one traffic light for testing performance of an autonomous vehicle as it approaches the at least one traffic light, the system comprising:

• at least one controller comprising a transceiver in communication with the at least one traffic light and a computer-readable memory comprising a plurality of operation routines for the at least one traffic light, the controller being configured to:
• select at least one operation routine of the plurality of operation routines on the computer-readable memory;
• and
• provide a control signal via the transceiver to the at least one traffic light to control operation of the at least one traffic light according to the selected at least one operation routine, wherein controlling operation of the at least one traffic light comprises turning on or off at least one of a plurality of light emitters of the at least one traffic light and/or changing a brightness, frequency, or intensity of at least one of the plurality of light emitters of the at least one traffic light;
• and
• a mounting device for selectively positioning an optical element within a field-of-view of at least one camera of the autonomous vehicle, the mounting device comprising:
• a housing defining an interior sized to fit over an aperture of the at least one camera;
• a holder for the optical element connected to the housing and positioned such that, when the holder is in a first position, the optical element is at least partially within the field-of-view of the at least one camera;
• and
• a motorized actuator in communication with the controller configured to move the holder to adjust the position of the optical element relative to the field-of-view of the at least one camera.

A traffic light control system configured to provide instructions to at least one traffic light for testing performance of an autonomous vehicle as it approaches the at least one traffic light, the system comprising:

• at least one controller comprising a transceiver in communication with the at least one traffic light and a computer-readable memory comprising a plurality of operation routines for the at least one traffic light, the controller being configured to:
• select at least one operation routine of the plurality of operation routines on the computer-readable memory;
• and
• provide a control signal via the transceiver to the at least one traffic light to control operation of the at least one traffic light according to the selected at least one operation routine, wherein controlling operation of the at least one traffic light comprises turning on or off at least one of a plurality of light emitters of the at least one traffic light and/or changing a brightness, frequency, or intensity of at least one of the plurality of light emitters of the at least one traffic light;
• and
• a motorized winch in electronic communication with the controller for extending or retracting a cable supporting the at least one traffic light to cause the at least one traffic light to swing,
• wherein the at least one controller is configured to provide instructions to the motorized winch to cause the motorized winch to extend and/or retract the cable.

A method for testing or evaluating image analysis software or a perception system of an autonomous vehicle as the autonomous vehicle approaches at least one traffic light, wherein the image analysis software or perception system is configured to analyze images collected by at least one camera of the autonomous vehicle including images of the at least one traffic light, the method comprising:

• obtaining image data of objects and/or an environment surrounding the autonomous vehicle from the at least one camera of the autonomous vehicle as the autonomous vehicle approaches the at least one traffic light;
• as the image data is being captured, manually or automatically changing an operating state of the at least one traffic light;
• and
• analyzing the obtained image data using the image analysis software or perception system for analysis of images collected by the at least one camera of the autonomous vehicle to determine whether the image analysis software or perception system correctly identifies the changed state of the at least one traffic light.