IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,670,725
Granted Patent B2
US 10,670,725 · App. 15/658,800 · Granted Jun 2, 2020

Determining yaw error from map data, lasers, and cameras

Inventors: John Tisdale (Oakland, CA); Michael Montemerlo (Mountain View, CA); Andrew Chatham (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Waymo LLC
G01S17/89G01S7/4808G01S7/497G06K9/00791G06K9/6202H04N7/185
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,670,725
App. No.
15/658,800
Granted
Jun 2, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems that facilitate determination of a pose of a vehicle based on various combinations of map data and sensor data received from light detection and ranging (LIDAR) devices and/or camera devices. An example method includes receiving point cloud data from a (LIDAR) device and transforming the point cloud data to provide a top-down image. The method also includes comparing the top-down image to a reference image and determining, based on the comparison, a yaw error. An alternative method includes receiving camera image data from a camera and transforming the camera image data to provide a top-down image. The method also includes comparing the top-down image to a reference image and determining, based on the comparison, a yaw error.

Claims (41)

1. A method comprising:

capturing point cloud data using a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device, wherein the point cloud data comprises information indicative of objects in an environment around a vehicle;

transforming the point cloud data to provide a top-down image;

comparing the top-down image to a reference image; and

determining, based on the comparison, a yaw error.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein comparing the top-down image to the reference image comprises performing normalized cross-correlation, grayscale matching, gradient matching, histogram matching, edge detection, scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT), or speeded-up robust features (SURF).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the top-down image comprises a flattened two-dimensional image of the environment around the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing an adjustment signal to a pose estimator of a vehicle based on the determined yaw error.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

determining, with the pose estimator, a yaw orientation of the vehicle; and

determining a refined yaw orientation based on the adjustment signal and the determined yaw orientation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference image comprises at least a portion of map data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference image comprises at least a portion of at least one of: one or more prior camera images, a LIDAR point cloud, RADAR data, satellite imagery, or other overhead imagery.

8. A method comprising:

capturing camera image data using a camera, wherein the camera image data comprises information indicative of an environment around a vehicle;

transforming the camera image data to provide a top-down image;

adjusting the top-down image by removing temporally varying objects;

comparing the top-down image to a reference image; and

determining, based on the comparison, a yaw error.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein comparing the top-down image to the reference image comprises performing normalized cross-correlation, grayscale matching, gradient matching, histogram matching, edge detection, scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT), or speeded-up robust features (SURF).

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the top-down image comprises a flattened two-dimensional image of the environment around the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

providing an adjustment signal to a pose estimator of a vehicle based on the determined yaw error.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

determining, with the pose estimator, a yaw orientation of the vehicle; and

determining a refined yaw orientation based on the adjustment signal and the determined yaw orientation.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the reference image comprises at least a portion of map data.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the reference image comprises at least a portion of at least one of: one or more prior camera images, a LIDAR point cloud, RADAR data, satellite imagery, or other overhead imagery.

15. A method comprising:

receiving reference data, wherein the reference data comprises information indicative of an overhead perspective of a scene;

transforming the reference data so as to correspond to a field of view of a camera;

capturing camera image data using the camera, wherein the camera image data comprises information indicative of an environment around a vehicle;

comparing the transformed reference data to the camera image data; and

determining, based on the comparison, a yaw error.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the camera image data comprises a flattened two-dimensional image of the environment around the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

providing an adjustment signal to a pose estimator of a vehicle based on the determined yaw error.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the camera image data corresponds to at least a portion of the transformed reference data.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reference data comprises at least a portion of at least one of: one or more prior camera images, a LIDAR point cloud, RADAR data, satellite imagery, or other overhead imagery.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least one of: the reference data or the camera image data are processed with at least one of: an image difference algorithm, an image homography algorithm, or an image rectification algorithm.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 9, 2017
From: TISDALE, JOHN; MONTEMERLO, MICHAEL; CHATHAM, ANDREW
To: WAYMO LLC
Reel/Frame 043250/0514 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190033459A1 · Jan 31, 2019
Cited By (2)
US 12,600,367 US 12,670,723