Suspended Load Detection for Autonomous Vehicles

A system detecting a suspended load by an autonomous vehicle maneuvering about an environment, the system comprising:

• at least one data processor;
• and
• memory storing instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor, result in operations for implementing operations comprising:
• receiving, from a scanning device mounted on and perpendicular to a top surface of the autonomous vehicle, a plurality of data points surrounding the autonomous vehicle;
• detecting, using a point detection module, whether an object is present within a detection range of the autonomous vehicle by:
• clustering subsets of the plurality of data points;
• determining whether at least one clustered subset of the plurality of data points is within the detection range;
• based on the object being present within the detection range, extracting, by a suspended load detection module, at least three features from the object to detect whether the object is a suspended load;
• and
• controlling maneuvering of the autonomous vehicle based on detection of the suspended load.

A non-transitory computer program product detecting a suspended load by an autonomous vehicle maneuvering about an environment, the non-transitory computer program product storing instructions which, when executed by at least one data processor forming part of at least one computing device, implement operations comprising:

• receiving, from a scanning device mounted on and perpendicular to a top surface of the autonomous vehicle, a plurality of data points surrounding the autonomous vehicle;
• detecting, using a point detection module, whether an object is present within a detection range of the autonomous vehicle by:
• clustering subsets of the plurality of data points;
• determining whether at least one clustered subset of the plurality of data points is within the detection range;
• based on the object being present within the detection range, extracting at least three features from the object to detect whether the object is a suspended load;
• and
• controlling maneuvering of the autonomous vehicle based on detection of the suspended load.