IP Library Granted Patent US 12,351,205
Granted Patent B2
US 12,351,205 · App. 17/846,630 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Lane segment clustering using hybrid distance metrics

Inventors: Andrew Hartnett (West Hartford, CT); George Peter Kenneth Carr (Allison Park, PA); Nikolai Popov (Munich, DE)
Assignee: Volkswagen Group of America Investments, LLC
B60W60/001G01C21/3415G01C21/3461G06V20/588B60W2420/403B60W2420/408B60W2552/53
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,351,205
App. No.
17/846,630
Granted
Jul 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for clustering lane segments of a roadway in order to improve and simplify autonomous vehicle behavior testing. The approaches disclosed herein provide a hybrid methodology of dividing lane segments into hard features and soft features, and using a metric learning model trained in a supervised process on the entirety of lane segment features to cluster the lane segments based on the soft features. These clustered lane segments can then be assigned to what is termed as protolanes, where a single set of tests applied to a given protolane is considered valid across all of the lane segments assigned to the protolane.

Claims (64)

1. A method, comprising:

grouping, by one or more computing devices, a set of lane segments based on trained labels from a supervised learning process, wherein the trained labels are applicable to a plurality of features of the set of lane segments;

calculating, by the one or more computing devices, distances corresponding to the set of lane segments based on individual features of the set of lane segments assessed by a metric learning model trained with the trained labels;

clustering, by the one or more computing devices, the set of lane segments based on the distances; and

assigning, by the one or more computing devices, corresponding protolanes to clusters of the set of lane segments based on the clustering, wherein an additional lane segment would be assigned to one of the protolanes based on clustering the additional lane segment into a corresponding one of the clusters.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

presenting, by the one or more computing devices, two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments to a user;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a similarity between the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on a user input; and

assigning the trained labels to the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on the similarity.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the similarity between the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on the user input is based on a ranking supervision approach.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

binning, by the one or more computing devices, a plurality of lane segments into respective bins based on one or more hard features of the lane segments; and

selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the set of lane segments from a bin of the respective bins.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

extracting, by the one or more computing devices, individual features of the plurality of lane segments; and

routing, by the one or more computing devices, hard features of the individual features of the plurality of lane segments to execution of the binning, and soft features of the individual features of the plurality of lane segments to execution of the distance calculation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metric learning method utilizes a contrastive learning technique.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the one or more computing devices, two lane segments associated with a protolane within a cluster of the clusters of the set of lane segments, such that the two lane segments are furthest apart from each other;

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a determination that the two lane segments should be assigned to disparate protolanes; and

re-clustering, by the one or more computing devices, the set of lane segments based on the distances in an increased number of clusters sufficient to place the two lane segments into separate clusters.

8. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute operations comprising:

grouping a set of lane segments based on trained labels from a supervised learning process, wherein the trained labels are applicable to a plurality of features of the set of lane segments,

calculating distances corresponding to the set of lane segments based on individual features of the set of lane segments assessed by a metric learning model trained with the trained labels,

clustering the set of lane segments based on the distances, and

assigning corresponding protolanes to clusters of the set of lane segments based on the clustering, wherein an additional lane segment would be assigned to one of the protolanes based on clustering the additional lane segment into a corresponding one of the clusters.

9. The system of claim 8 , the operations further comprising:

presenting two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments to a user;

determining a similarity between the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on a user input; and

assigning the trained labels to the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on the similarity.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the similarity between the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on the user input is based on a ranking supervision approach.

11. The system of claim 8 , the operations further comprising:

binning a plurality of lane segments into respective bins based on one or more hard features of the lane segments; and

selecting the set of lane segments from a bin of the respective bins.

12. The system of claim 11 , the operations further comprising:

extracting individual features of the plurality of lane segments; and

routing hard features of the individual features of the plurality of lane segments to execution of the binning, and soft features of the individual features of the plurality of lane segments to execution of the distance calculation.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the metric learning method utilizes a contrastive learning technique.

14. The system of claim 8 , the operations further comprising:

determining two lane segments associated with a protolane within a cluster of the clusters of the set of lane segments, such that the two lane segments are furthest apart from each other;

receiving a determination that the two lane segments should be assigned to disparate protolanes; and

re-clustering the set of lane segments based on the distances in an increased number of clusters sufficient to place the two lane segments into separate clusters.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

grouping a set of lane segments based on trained labels from a supervised learning process, wherein the trained labels are applicable to a plurality of features of the set of lane segments;

calculating distances corresponding to the set of lane segments based on individual features of the set of lane segments assessed by a metric learning model trained with the trained labels;

clustering the set of lane segments based on the distances; and

assigning corresponding protolanes to clusters of the set of lane segments based on the clustering, wherein an additional lane segment would be assigned to one of the protolanes based on clustering the additional lane segment into a corresponding one of the clusters.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , the operations further comprising:

presenting two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments to a user;

determining a similarity between the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on a user input; and

assigning the trained labels to the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on the similarity.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the similarity between the two or more lane segments of the set of lane segments based on the user input is based on a ranking supervision approach.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , the operations further comprising:

binning a plurality of lane segments into respective bins based on one or more hard features of the lane segments; and

selecting the set of lane segments from a bin of the respective bins.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , the operations further comprising:

extracting individual features of the plurality of lane segments; and

routing hard features of the individual features of the plurality of lane segments to execution of the binning, and soft features of the individual features of the plurality of lane segments to execution of the distance calculation.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , the operations further comprising:

determining two lane segments associated with a protolane within a cluster of the clusters of the set of lane segments, such that the two lane segments are furthest apart from each other;

receiving a determination that the two lane segments should be assigned to disparate protolanes; and

re-clustering the set of lane segments based on the distances in an increased number of clusters sufficient to place the two lane segments into separate clusters.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 7, 2024
From: ARGO AI, LLC
To: VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA INVESTMENTS, LLC
Reel/Frame 069113/0265 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 20, 2023
From: HARTNETT, ANDREW; CARR, GEORGE PETER KENNETH; POPOV, NIKOLAI
To: ARGO AI, LLC
Reel/Frame 063996/0521 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230415766A1 · Dec 28, 2023
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