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US 12,584,998 B2Granted
System and method for managing free space estimation
AssigneeDEKA Products Limited Partnership
InventorsAbhishek Ravi, Gregory J. Buitkus, Sai Ravi Teja Boggavarapu, Raajitha Gummadi, Derek Kane, Yu-Hsuan Chang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for estimating free space and assigning free space probabilities in point cloud data associated with an autonomous vehicle traveling on a surface, including taking into account sensor noise, sensor availability, obstacle heights, and distance of obstacles from the sensor. System and method can include determining surface planes and classifying point cloud points according to whether or not the points fall on surface planes, among other factors.
Claims36
Method of determining free space for navigating an autonomous vehicle comprising:
- determining ground planes from point cloud data received from a sensor, each of the ground planes being associated with a ground plane equation, the sensor having a sensor frame of reference;
- transforming the ground plane equation from the sensor frame of reference to a vehicle frame of reference associated with the autonomous vehicle;
- transforming points in the point cloud data from the sensor frame of reference to the vehicle frame of reference;
- labeling points in the point cloud data as free space if the transformed points satisfy the transformed ground plane equation;
- providing occupancy grid data to augment an occupancy grid based on the labeled points;
- and
- navigating the vehicle based on the occupancy grid;
- wherein said determining comprises:
- computing a median of at least two rings of the point cloud data;
- filtering the point cloud data based on a distance of the points in the point cloud data from the median;
- creating planes from the filtered point cloud data, each of the created planes having an azimuth angle;
- growing the created planes from the point cloud data extending away from the autonomous vehicle along the azimuth angle;
- and
- choosing the ground planes from the grown planes based on an orientation and residual error of each of the created planes.
11 more elements
System for determining free space for navigating an autonomous vehicle comprising:
- a ground plane processor configured for determining ground planes from point cloud data received from a sensor, each of the ground planes being associated with a ground plane equation, the sensor having a sensor frame of reference;
- a plane transform processor configured for transforming the ground plane equation from the sensor frame of reference to a vehicle frame of reference associated with the autonomous vehicle;
- a point transform processor configured for transforming points in the point cloud data from the sensor frame of reference to the vehicle frame of reference;
- a point label processor configured for labeling points in the point cloud data as free space if the transformed points satisfy the transformed ground plane equation;
- and
- a probability processor configured for providing occupancy grid data to augment an occupancy grid based on the labeled points;
- and
- navigating the vehicle based on the occupancy grid;
- wherein the transforming the ground planes comprises:
- computing a unity vector from coefficients of the ground plane equation, the ground plane equation including ax+by+cz+d=0, the coefficients including a, b, and c, a constant including d;
- normalizing the d constant;
- transforming the a, b, c coefficients of the ground plane equation based on a rotation/translation matrix and the unity vector, and defining a′, b′ and c′;
- and
- transforming the normalized d constant based on the normalized d constant, the rotation/translation matrix, the unity vector, and the transformed a, b, c coefficients, and defining d′.
11 more elements
Method of determining free space for navigating an autonomous vehicle comprising:
- determining ground planes from point cloud data received from a sensor, each of the ground planes being associated with a ground plane equation, the sensor having a sensor frame of reference;
- transforming the ground plane equation from the sensor frame of reference to a vehicle frame of reference associated with the autonomous vehicle;
- transforming points in the point cloud data from the sensor frame of reference to the vehicle frame of reference;
- labeling points in the point cloud data as free space if the transformed points satisfy the transformed ground plane equation;
- providing occupancy grid data to augment an occupancy grid based on the labeled points;
- and
- navigating the vehicle based on the occupancy grid;
- wherein the transforming the ground planes comprises:
- computing a unity vector from coefficients of the ground plane equation, the ground plane equation including ax+by+cz+d=0, the coefficients including a, b, and c, a constant including d;
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168 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.