Methods and systems for generating a map mesh for autonomous driving

A method for generating a map of a geographical area, the method comprising, by a processor:

• receiving information relating to a drivable area in the geographical area;
• identifying a plurality of lane segments that intersect with the drivable area;
• segmenting the drivable area into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein each of the plurality of lane segments can be represented as a union of a unique subset of the plurality of sub-regions;
• creating a data representation of the drivable area that comprises the plurality of sub-regions;
• and
• using the data representation to render the map comprising at least one of the following:
• the drivable area;
• or one or more of the plurality of lane segments;
• wherein segmenting the drivable area into the plurality of sub-regions comprises:
• projecting a representation of the drivable area on a 2-dimensional mesh comprising a plurality of polygons;
• for each of the plurality of lane segments identifying a region on the 2-dimensional mesh where a projection of a representation of that lane segment on the 2-dimensional mesh overlaps with the projected representation of the drivable area;
• and
• sequentially generating borders for the plurality of overlapping regions identified for the plurality of lane segments.

A system for controlling navigation of an autonomous vehicle for traversing a geographical area, the system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• programming instructions stored in a memory and configured to cause the processor to:
• receive information relating to a drivable area in the geographical area;
• identify a plurality of lane segments that intersect with the drivable area;
• segment the drivable area into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein each of the plurality of lane segments can be represented as a union of a unique subset of the plurality of sub-regions;
• create a data representation of the drivable area that comprises the plurality of sub-regions;
• and
• use the data representation to render the map comprising at least one of the following:
• the drivable area;
• or one or more of the plurality of lane segments;
• and
• additional programming instructions configured to cause the processor to:
• generate, using the plurality of sub-regions, a mesh comprising a plurality of polygons;
• and assign a height to vertices of each of the plurality of polygons, the height being associated with a lane segment that includes that polygon.

A system for controlling navigation of an autonomous vehicle for traversing a geographical area, the system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• programming instructions stored in a memory and configured to cause the processor to:
• receive information relating to a drivable area in the geographical area;
• identify a plurality of lane segments that intersect with the drivable area;
• segment the drivable area into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein each of the plurality of lane segments can be represented as a union of a unique subset of the plurality of sub-regions;
• create a data representation of the drivable area that comprises the plurality of sub-regions;
• and
• use the data representation to render the map comprising at least one of the following:
• the drivable area;
• or one or more of the plurality of lane segments;
• wherein the instructions to segment the drivable area into the plurality of sub-regions comprise instruction to:
• project a representation of the drivable area on a 2-dimensional mesh comprising a plurality of polygons;
• for each of the plurality of lane segments, identify a region on the 2-dimensional mesh where a projection of a representation of that lane segment on the 2-dimensional mesh overlaps with the projected representation of the drivable area;
• and
• sequentially generate borders for the plurality of overlapping regions identified for the plurality of lane segments.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions that, when executed by a computing device, will cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

• receiving information relating to a drivable area in a geographical area;
• identifying a plurality of lane segments that intersect with the drivable area;
• segmenting the drivable area into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein each of the plurality of lane segments can be represented as a union of a unique subset of the plurality of sub-regions;
• creating a data representation of the drivable area that comprises the plurality of sub-regions;
• using the data representation to render the map comprising at least one of the following:
• the drivable area;
• or one or more of the plurality of lane segments;
• using the plurality of sub-regions to generate a mesh comprising a plurality of polygons;
• and
• assigning a height to vertices of each of the plurality of polygons, the height being associated with a lane segment that includes that polygon.