Systems and methods for operating an autonomous vehicle

A system for operating an autonomous vehicle, comprising a computer that includes a processor configured to execute instructions to cause the system to:

• detect, via sensor data collected from sensors located on the autonomous vehicle, an upcoming object located on a roadway on which the autonomous vehicle is located;
• determine, from the sensor data, a relative distance and a relative direction of the upcoming object with respect to the autonomous vehicle;
• map the upcoming object to an absolute location with respect to the roadway based on (i) map data that describes upcoming topology of the roadway and (ii) a location of the autonomous vehicle within the roadway;
• associate the upcoming object with a lane of the roadway based on the absolute location mapped to the upcoming object and based on lane geometry data for the roadway;
• operate the autonomous vehicle based on a relationship between the lane associated with the upcoming object and a current lane in which the autonomous vehicle is located;
• determine a width and height of the upcoming object when the autonomous vehicle is a first distance away from the upcoming object;
• and
• determine a length of the upcoming object along a direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle based on movement of the upcoming object and based on a two-dimensional bounding box associated with the determined width and height of the upcoming object when the autonomous vehicle is a second distance away from the upcoming object, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance, wherein the autonomous vehicle is operated further based on the width and the length of the upcoming object.

A non-transitory computer readable program storage medium having code stored thereon, the code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to:

• detect, via sensor data collected from sensors located on an autonomous vehicle, an upcoming object located on a roadway on which the autonomous vehicle is located;
• determine, from the sensor data, a relative distance and a relative direction of the upcoming object with respect to the autonomous vehicle;
• map the upcoming object to an absolute location with respect to the roadway based on (i) map data that describes upcoming topology of the roadway and (ii) a location of the autonomous vehicle within the roadway;
• associate the upcoming object with a lane of the roadway based on the absolute location mapped to the upcoming object and based on lane geometry data for the roadway;
• operate the autonomous vehicle based on a relationship between the lane associated with the upcoming object and a current lane in which the autonomous vehicle is located;
• determine a width and height of the upcoming object when the autonomous vehicle is a first distance away from the upcoming object;
• and
• determine a length of the upcoming object along a direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle based on movement of the upcoming object and based on a two-dimensional bounding box associated with the determined width and height of the upcoming object when the autonomous vehicle is a second distance away from the upcoming object, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance, wherein the autonomous vehicle is operated further based on the width and the length of the upcoming object.