# US 2019/0315352 A1 · Using Wheel Orientation To Determine Future Heading > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0315352 A1 - Document ID: US20190315352A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/406,175 - Filed: 2019-05-08 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Earliest claimed: 2017-02-10 - Assignees: Waymo LLC - Applicants: Waymo LLC - Inventors: Jens-Steffen Ralf Gutmann - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190315352A1 ## CPC - B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters} - B60W 10/04: including control of propulsion units - B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems - B60W 40/04: Traffic conditions - B60W 50/0097: {Predicting future conditions} - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - G01S 13/931: of land vehicles - G01S 15/931: of land vehicles - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G06V 10/25: Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI] - G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract The technology relates to determining a future heading of an object. In order to do so, sensor data, including information identifying a bounding box representing an object in a vehicle's environment and locations of sensor data points corresponding to the object, may be received. Based on dimensions of the bounding box, an area corresponding to a wheel of the object may be identified. An orientation of the wheel may then be estimated based on the sensor data points having locations within the area. The estimation may then be used to determine a future heading of the object. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of determining a future heading of an object, the method comprising: receiving, by one or more processors, sensor data including information identifying an object in a vehicle's environment and sensor data points corresponding to the object; identifying, by the one or more processors, an area corresponding to an expected location of a wheel of the object using a model of wheel locations; determining, by the one or more processors, a heading of the object based on the sensor data points of the sensor data that are within the area. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the heading includes fitting any of the sensor data points having locations within the area to a first plane. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein determining the heading includes determining an angular difference between a second plane of a side of a bounding box representative of the object and the first plane. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the bounding box represents estimated dimensions of the object. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the expected location of the wheel corresponds to a two-dimensional area such as a disc. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the expected location of the wheel corresponds to a three-dimensional volume such as a cylinder with a width of the wheel located at a distance relative to a corner of the bounding box. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the area is further based on a type of the object, and wherein the model corresponds to the type of the object. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the type of object includes a passenger vehicle, a tractor trailer, a bus or a bicycle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor data points of the sensor data that are within the area include sensor data points that are outside of a bounding box representative of the object. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the heading is a predicted future heading of the object. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising, predicting that the object is going to change lanes based on the determined heading. ### Claim 12 A method of determining a future heading of an object, the method comprising: receiving, by one or more processors, sensor data including information identifying an object in a vehicle's environment and sensor data points corresponding to the object; identifying, by the one or more processors, an area corresponding to an expected location of a wheel of the object using a model of wheel locations; predicting, by the one or more processors, that the object is going to change lanes based on the sensor data points of the sensor data that are within the area. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a heading of the object based on the sensor data points of the sensor data that are within the area and wherein predicting that the object is going to change lanes is further based on the heading. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein determining the heading includes fitting any of the sensor data points having locations within the area to a first plane. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein determining the heading includes determining an angular difference between a second plane of a side of a bounding box representative of the object and the first plane. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the bounding box represents estimated dimensions of the object. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the heading is a predicted future heading of the object. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the area is further based on a type of the object, and wherein the model corresponds to the type of the object. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the type of object includes a passenger vehicle, a tractor trailer, a bus or a bicycle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the sensor data points of the sensor data that are within the area include sensor data points that are outside of a bounding box representative of the object.