US 12,728,884 B2Granted

Storing map data based on metadata

AssigneeZoox, Inc.

InventorsJean-Luc Pierre Chamaa, Christopher Patton, Elena Stephanie Stumm

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Techniques are discussed for generating, maintaining, and accessing maps to be used for vehicle localization and navigation. A map of a region may include map data representing discrete tiles of the region, and be associated with a map manifest listing pointers to content of the map. In some cases, the map manifest may have a recursive structure which references other map manifests. The map files may be stored on a storage system that avoids duplication and allows efficient determination of changes to content. For example, the stored map files may each be associated with a content-based hash value, which may be incorporated into a filename or URI of the map file. Computing systems on a vehicle may use comparison of the content-based hash values to determine files that have changed and need to be downloaded. The computing systems may also use hash values to determine accuracy of downloaded files.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

one or more processors;
a memory;
and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
receiving a map manifest representing a map of a first geographic region comprising geospatial tiles, wherein the map manifest includes a first identifier comprising a first hash value indicative of first content of a first map data file associated with a tile of the geospatial tiles;
accessing, from the memory, a second identifier comprising a second hash value indicative of second content of a second map data file associated with the tile;
determining, based on the first identifier not matching the second identifier, a change in map data associated with the tile;
identifying, based at least in part on a textual representation of the first identifier, a storage location of the first map data file, wherein a filename of the storage location includes the textual representation;
based on determining the change, retrieving, from the storage location, the first content of the first map data file to a third map data file in the memory, the third map data file storing the first content;
associating the tile with the third map data file;
receiving an additional map manifest associated with a second geographic region;
determining, based on the map manifest and the additional map manifest, a third map manifest associated with a third geographic region comprising the first geographic region and the second geographic region,
wherein the third map manifest is determined without accessing the first content of the first map data file or the first content of the third map data file;
and
controlling, based at least in part on the third map manifest, an autonomous vehicle to traverse the third geographic region.

12 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving a first map manifest associated with a geographic region, wherein the first map manifest includes a first identifier comprising a hash value determined by providing, as input to a hash function, first content of a first data file associated with a first portion of the geographic region;
determining, based on comparing the first identifier with a second identifier generated based on second content of a second data file associated with the first portion of the geographic region, a change in map data associated with the first portion of the geographic region;
identifying, based at least in part on a first textual representation of the first identifier, a storage location of the first data file, wherein a second textual representation of a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) of the storage location includes the first textual representation;
based on determining the change, retrieving, from the storage location associated with the first identifier, the first content of the first data file to a third data file, the third data file storing the first content;
associating the first portion of the geographic region with the third data file;
receiving a second map manifest associated with a second portion of the geographic region;
and
determining, based on the first map manifest and the second map manifest, and without accessing the first content, a third map manifest associated with a third portion of the geographic region comprising the first portion of the geographic region and the second portion of the geographic region,
wherein a vehicle is controlled in the geographic region based at least in part on the third map manifest.

6 more elements

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by a processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving first map metadata associated with a first geographic region of an environment, the first map metadata including one or more first hash values indicative of content of respective map data files associated with the first geographic region;
determining, based on comparing the one or more first hash values with one or more second hash values in a second map metadata associated with the first geographic region, a change in a content of a map data file associated with the one or more second hash values;
based on determining the change, retrieving the content of the map data file to a local map data file associated with a vehicle,
wherein a first textual representation of a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) of the map data file includes a second textual representation of a hash value indicative of the content of the map data file;
associating the first geographic region and the local map data file;
receiving an additional map metadata associated with a second geographic region of the environment;
determining, based on the first map metadata and the additional map metadata, a third map metadata associated with a third geographic region comprising the first geographic region and the second geographic region,
wherein the third map metadata is determined without accessing the content of the map data file or the local map data file;
and
controlling, based at least in part on the third map metadata, the vehicle to traverse the third geographic region.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/203,997Filed 31 May 2023
Published: US 2024/0400085 A15 Dec 2024
Granted: 8 Sep 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

B60W 60/001
Drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles: planning or execution of driving tasks
B60W 50/00
Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to
G01C 21/3859
Creation or updating of map data: differential updating map data
G01C 21/3881
Organisation of map data, e.g. version management or database structures: tile-based structures