# US 12,005,891 B2 · Early object detection for unprotected turns > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,005,891 B2 - Document ID: US12005891B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/728,375 - Filed: 2022-04-25 - Published: 2022-08-04 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-07 - Assignees: Waymo LLC - Applicants: Waymo LLC - Inventors: Brandon Douglas Luders - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005891B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering - B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters} - B60W 30/18009: {related to particular drive situations} - B60W 30/18145: {Cornering} - B60W 30/18159: {Traversing an intersection} - B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres} - B60W 60/0015: {specially adapted for safety} - B60W 60/0016: {of the vehicle or its occupants} - G05D 1/43: Control of position or course in two dimensions [2D] - G05D 1/81: Handing over between on-board automatic and on-board manual control - G08G 1/00: Traffic control systems for road vehicles (arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 {; automatic vehicle control B62D}) - A01B 69/00: Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track - B60W 30/12: Lane keeping - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W 2554/4029: Pedestrians - B62D 15/02: Steering position indicators {; Steering position determination; Steering aids} - B62D 15/025: {Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence)} - G01S 17/93: for anti-collision purposes - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - G05D 1/02: Control of position or course in two dimensions - G05D 1/617: Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80) - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection} - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21) - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract A system and method are provided for early detection of objects by a perception system of a vehicle, and triggering a precautionary action by the vehicle in response without waiting for a more precise detection. The vehicle has a multi-level sensor range, wherein a first level of the sensor range is adjacent an outer bounds of the sensor range and has a first confidence value, and a second level of the sensor range is within the first range and has a second, higher confidence value. In situations when oncoming traffic is traveling at a high rate of speed, the vehicle responds to noisier detections, or objects perceived with a lower degree of confidence, rather than waiting for verification which may come too late. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for operating a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the method comprising: detecting, by a perception system of the vehicle, one or more objects in an external environment of the vehicle during an initial sensor operation, each of the one or more detected objects having a first confidence level associated therewith based on the initial sensor operation; causing, by a control system of the vehicle, the vehicle to take a preliminary action in response to the detecting of the one or more objects having the first confidence level; detecting, by the perception system of the vehicle, at least one of the one or more objects in the external environment during a subsequent sensor operation, each of the at least one of the one or more detected objects having a second confidence level associated therewith based on the subsequent sensor operation; and causing, by the control system, the vehicle to take a secondary action in response to the detecting the at least one of the one or more objects having the second confidence level. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary action is a modification of the preliminary action. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the preliminary action is ceasing to accelerate, and the secondary action is decelerating. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary action is a continuation of the preliminary action. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the preliminary action is waiting and the secondary action is continuing to wait. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary action is a different responsive action than the preliminary action. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the secondary action is stopping the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the preliminary action is one of yielding, decelerating, ceasing acceleration, changing lanes or waiting. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the secondary action is one of accelerating, stopping or continuing to wait. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising cross-validating, by the perception system, sensor signals detected during the initial sensor operation and sensor signals detected during the subsequent sensor operation. ### Claim 11 A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous driving mode, comprising: a driving system including a steering subsystem, an acceleration subsystem and a deceleration subsystem to perform driving actions in the autonomous driving mode; a perception system including one or more sensors configured to detect objects in an environment external to the vehicle based on obtained sensor data in a plurality of sensor operations, each of the one or more sensors being positioned along the vehicle, wherein the perception system is configured to: detect one or more objects in the external environment of the vehicle during an initial sensor operation, each of the one or more detected objects having a first confidence level associated therewith based on the initial sensor operation, and detect at least one of the one or more objects in the external environment during a subsequent sensor operation, each of the at least one of the one or more detected objects having a second confidence level associated therewith based on the subsequent sensor operation; and a control system operatively connected to the driving system and the perception system, the control system having one or more processors configured to: cause the vehicle to take a preliminary action in response to the detecting of the one or more objects having the first confidence level, and cause the vehicle to take a secondary action in response to the detecting the at least one of the one or more objects having the second confidence level. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the secondary action is a modification of the preliminary action. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the preliminary action is ceasing to accelerate, and the secondary action is deceleration. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the secondary action is a continuation of the preliminary action. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the preliminary action is to wait and the secondary action is continuing to wait. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the secondary action is a different responsive action than the preliminary action. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the secondary action causes the vehicle to stop. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the preliminary action is one of yielding, decelerating, ceasing acceleration, changing lanes or waiting. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the secondary action is one of accelerating, stopping or continuing to wait. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The vehicle of claim 11, wherein either the perception system or the control system is further configured to cross-validate sensor signals detected during the initial sensor operation and sensor signals detected during the subsequent sensor operation.