IP Library Granted Patent US 11,340,093
Granted Patent B2
US 11,340,093 · App. 16/946,971 · Granted May 24, 2022

Submap geographic projections

Inventor: Adam Henry Polk Milstein (Pittsburgh, PA)
Assignee: UATC, LLC
G01C21/367G01C21/32G01C21/34
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,340,093
App. No.
16/946,971
Granted
May 24, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method includes obtaining map data associated with a map of a geographic location including one or more roadways, the map including a first submap represented by a first local Euclidean space and a second submap represented by a second local Euclidean space. A route that includes a first roadway in the first submap and a second roadway in the second submap is determined using a first projection between a global coordinate system and the first local Euclidean space and a second projection between the global coordinate system and the second local Euclidean space. The route is provided to an autonomous vehicle (AV) for driving on the first roadway and the second roadway.

Claims (55)

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, with a computer system comprising one or more processors, map data associated with a map of a geographic location including one or more roadways, the map comprising a first submap and a second submap;

determining, with the computer system, a route that includes a first roadway in the first submap and a second roadway in the second submap, the determining using a first projection between a global coordinate system and a first coordinate frame of the first submap and also using a second projection between the global coordinate system and a second coordinate frame of the second submap, the first projection centered at a first point in the global coordinate system and transforming global coordinates in the global coordinate system to local coordinates in the first coordinate frame of the first submap, the second projection centered at a second point in the global coordinate system that is different than the first point and transforming the global coordinates in the global coordinate system to local coordinates in the second coordinate frame of the second submap; and

providing, with the computer system, the route to an autonomous vehicle (AV) for driving on the first roadway and the second roadway.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the route includes a map represented by the global coordinate system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first projection includes a first transverse Mercator centered at the first point in the global coordinate system, and wherein the second projection includes a second transverse Mercator centered at the second point in the global coordinate system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first submap includes a first portion located in a first Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zone, and wherein the second submap includes a second portion located in a second UTM zone different than the first UTM zone.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first point includes first latitude and longitude coordinates, and wherein the second point includes second latitude and longitude coordinates.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the route further comprises:

determining, with the computer system, a transform between the first coordinate frame and the second coordinate frame; and

determining, with the computer system, the route based on the transform.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the route further includes one or more roadways in a third submap positioned between the first submap and the second submap, wherein the third submap is described by a third coordinate frame, and wherein determining the route further comprises:

transforming, with the computer system, a first local point in the first coordinate frame to a first global point in the global coordinate system based at least in part on the first projection;

transforming, with the computer system, a second local point in the second coordinate frame to a second global point in the global coordinate system based at least in part on the second projection;

transforming, with the computer system, a third local point in the third coordinate frame to a third global point in the global coordinate system based on a third projection between the global coordinate system and the third coordinate frame; and

determining, with the computer system, a position of the first local point relative to the second local point and the third local point in the global coordinate system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the route further comprises:

receiving, with the computer system, a global point including a latitude coordinate and a longitude coordinate;

determining, with the computer system, a closest submap associated with the global point, the closest submap being described by a closest coordinate frame; and

determining, with the computer system, a local point in the closest coordinate frame using a projection between the global coordinate system and the closest coordinate frame.

9. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors programmed or configured to perform operations comprising:

obtaining map data associated with a map of a geographic location including one or more roadways, the map comprising a first submap and a second submap;

determining a route that includes a first roadway in the first submap and a second roadway in the second submap, the determining using a first projection between a global coordinate system and a first coordinate frame of the first submap and a second projection between the global coordinate system and a second coordinate frame of the second submap, the first projection centered at a first point in the global coordinate system and transforming global coordinates in the global coordinate system to local coordinates in the first coordinate frame of the first submap, the second projection centered at a second point in the global coordinate system that is different than the first point and transforming the global coordinates in the global coordinate system to local coordinates in the second coordinate frame of the second submap; and

providing the route to an autonomous vehicle (AV) for driving on the first roadway and the second roadway.

10. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the route includes a map represented by the global coordinate system.

11. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the first projection includes a first transverse Mercator centered at the first point in the global coordinate system, and wherein the second projection includes a second transverse Mercator centered at the second point in the global coordinate system.

12. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the first submap includes a first portion located in a first Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zone, and wherein the second submap includes a second portion located in a second UTM zone different than the first UTM zone.

13. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the first point includes first latitude and longitude coordinates, wherein the second point includes second latitude and longitude coordinates.

14. The computing system of claim 9 , the operations further comprising:

determining a transform between the first coordinate frame and the second coordinate frame; and

determining the route based on the transform.

15. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the route further includes one or more roadways in a third submap positioned between the first submap and the second submap, wherein the third submap is described by a third coordinate frame, the operations further comprising:

transforming a first local point in a first coordinate frame to a first global point in the global coordinate system based on the first projection;

transforming a second local point in the second coordinate frame to a second global point in the global coordinate system based on the second projection;

transforming a third local point in the third coordinate frame to a third global point in the global coordinate system based on a third projection between the global coordinate system and the third coordinate frame; and

determining a position of the first local point relative to the second local point and the third local point in the global coordinate system.

16. The computing system of claim 9 , the operations further comprising:

receiving a global point including a latitude coordinate and a longitude coordinate;

determining a closest submap associated with the global point, the closest submap being described by a closest coordinate frame; and

determining a local point in the closest coordinate frame of the closest submap using a projection between the global coordinate system and the closest coordinate frame.

17. An autonomous vehicle (AV) comprising:

a vehicle computing system comprising one or more processors, the vehicle computing system programmed to perform operations comprising:

obtaining map data associated with a map of a geographic location including one or more roadways, the map including a first submap and a second submap;

determining a route that includes a first roadway in the first submap and a second roadway in the second submap, the determining using a first projection between a global coordinate system and a first coordinate frame of the first submap and a second projection between the global coordinate system and a second coordinate frame of the second submap, the first projection centered at a first point in the global coordinate system and transforming global coordinates in the global coordinate system to local coordinates in the first coordinate frame of the first submap, and the second projection centered at a second point in the global coordinate system that is different than the first point and transforming the global coordinates in the global coordinate system to local coordinates in the second coordinate frame of the second submap; and

controlling at least one functionality of the AV on the first roadway and the second roadway based on the route.

18. The AV of claim 17 , the operations further comprising:

receiving a global point including a latitude coordinate and a longitude coordinate;

determining a closest submap associated with the global point, the closest submap being described by a closest coordinate frame;

determining a local point in the closest coordinate frame using a projection between the global coordinate system and the closest coordinate frame; and

control the at least one functionality of the AV based on the local point.

19. The AV of claim 17 , wherein the map data is associated with a transform between the first coordinate frame of the first submap and the second coordinate frame of the second submap, the operations further comprising:

determining the route based on the transform by transforming a local point in the second coordinate frame of the second submap to the first coordinate frame of the first submap based on the transform; and

controlling the at least one functionality of the AV based on the transformed local point.

20. The AV of claim 17 , wherein the first projection includes a first transverse Mercator centered at the first point in the global coordinate system, and wherein the second projection includes a second transverse Mercator centered at the second point in the global coordinate system.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 2, 2024
From: UATC, LLC
To: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 066973/0513 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE RECEIVING PARTY NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054284 FRAME: 0854. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jan 19, 2021
From: MILSTEIN, ADAM HENRY POLK
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 055025/0973 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 5, 2020
From: MILSTEIN, ADAM HENRY POLK
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 054284/0854 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 5, 2020
From: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 054330/0058 →