US 12,746,947 B1Granted

Collision filtering based on segmentation data and object tracking

AssigneeZoox, Inc.

InventorsXiang Gao, Jie Lin, Li Yon Tan, Haoran Yu, Yihang Zhang

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Abstract

Techniques for filtering candidate collisions with objects in an environment are discussed herein. A vehicle may receive sensor data representative of the environment. The vehicle can evaluate such sensor data and generate instance segmentation maps that represent the environment at a future time. The vehicle can determine instance prediction maps based on the instance segmentation maps and the velocity associated with the instances included therein. The vehicle can analyze such instance prediction maps to determine whether the vehicle is predicted to collide with any of the instances. Upon identifying a potential interaction, the vehicle can determine whether the instance is located, at a future instance prediction map that is prior to the map in which the potential interaction occurs, substantially behind the vehicle. Based on the instance being located behind the vehicle, the vehicle may filter out the potential interaction from further processing and control the vehicle accordingly.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

one or more processors;
and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a sensor associated with an autonomous vehicle, sensor data associated with an environment;
determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a segmented representation of the environment;
determining, based at least in part on the segmented representation of the environment, an object representation including an object;
determining, based at least in part on the object representation and a velocity of the object, a first predicted representation indicating a first predicted location of the object at a first future time;
determining, based at least in part on the first predicted representation and a trajectory of the autonomous vehicle, a first potential interaction between the autonomous vehicle and the object;
identifying a second predicted representation indicating a second predicted location of the object at a second future time that is prior to the first future time;
determining a first direction between the autonomous vehicle at a first location of the first potential interaction and a second location of the autonomous vehicle at the second future time;
determining a second direction between the object at the first location and a third location of the object at the second future time;
determining a third direction between the autonomous vehicle at the second location and the third location;
determining a first angle between the first direction and the second direction;
determining a second angle between the first direction and the third direction;
determining that the first angle is below a first threshold and the second angle is below a second threshold;
determining, based at least in part on the first angle being below the first threshold and the second angle being below the second threshold, that the object is located at a position behind the autonomous vehicle;
and
controlling the autonomous vehicle at an exclusion of the object based at least in part on the object being behind the autonomous vehicle.

15 more elements

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

receiving, from a sensor associated with a vehicle, sensor data associated with an environment;
determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, an object representation including an object in the environment;
determining, based at least in part on the object representation and a velocity of the object, a first predicted representation indicating a first predicted location of the object at a first future time;
determining, based at least in part on the first predicted representation and a trajectory of the vehicle, a first potential interaction between the vehicle and the object;
identifying a second predicted representation indicating a second predicted location of the object at a second future time that is prior to the first future time;
determining a first direction between the vehicle at a first location of the first potential interaction and a second location of the vehicle at the second future time;
determining a second direction between the object at the first location and a third location of the object at the second future time;
determining a third direction between the vehicle at the second location and the third location;
determining a first angle between the first direction and the second direction;
determining a second angle between the first direction and the third direction;
determining, based at least in part on the first angle and the second angle, that the object is located at a position behind the vehicle;
filtering, based at least in part on determining that the object is located behind the vehicle, the object from subsequent processing;
and
controlling the vehicle based at least in part on the object being behind the vehicle.

11 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving, from a sensor associated with a vehicle, sensor data associated with an environment;
determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, an object representation including an object in the environment;
determining, based at least in part on the object representation and a velocity of the object, a first predicted representation indicating a first predicted location of the object at a first future time;
determining, based at least in part on the first predicted representation and a trajectory of the vehicle, a first potential interaction between the vehicle and the object;
identifying a second predicted representation indicating a second predicted location of the object at a second future time that is prior to the first future time;
determining a first direction between the vehicle at a first location of the first potential interaction and a second location of the vehicle at the second future time;
determining a second direction between the object at the first location and a third location of the object at the second future time;
determining a third direction between the vehicle at the second location and the third location;
determining a first angle between the first direction and the second direction;
determining a second angle between the first direction and the third direction;
determining, based at least in part on the first angle and the second angle, that the object is located at a position behind the vehicle;
filtering, based at least in part on determining that the object is located behind the vehicle, the object from subsequent processing;
and
controlling the vehicle based at least in part on the object being behind the vehicle.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.