Granted Patent B2

US 12,589,742 · App. 18/179,176 · Granted Mar 31, 2026

Inventors: Collin Otis (Driggs, ID); Philip C. Du Toit (Fort Collins, CO)

Assignee: Kodiak Robotics, Inc.

B60W30/0956B60W2554/4041B60W2556/40

Abstract

Claims (45)

1 . A method to adjust a driving path in a planner-map, comprising:

detecting, using a computing device and sensor data from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle, an environment of the vehicle, wherein the computing device comprises a processor and a memory;

identifying, using the computing device, a driving surface within the environment of the vehicle based on the sensor data;

determining, using the computing device, a path on the driving surface on which the vehicle may travel, based on the sensor data from the one or more sensors;

identifying, using the one or more sensors, one or more objects relative to the driving surface;

detecting, using the computing device, one or more occlusion areas within the environment of the vehicle based on the sensor data from the one or more sensors;

tracking, using the one or more sensors, one or more tracks of one or more objects within the one or more occlusion areas;

adding, using the computing device, an uncertainty value to each of the one or more tracks within the one or more occlusion areas;

adjusting, using the computing device, the path on the driving surface based on the uncertainty value of the one or more tracks within the one or more occlusion areas; and

performing, using the computing device, one or more driving actions to cause the vehicle to follow the path on the driving surface.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncertainty value of each of the one or more tracks is based on a time that has elapsed during which an object, corresponding to a track that is within the one or more occlusion areas, is within the one or more occlusion areas.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the uncertainty value of the one or more tracks increases as time elapses.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncertainty value is based on a size of the one or more occlusion areas.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the uncertainty value increases with the size of the one or more occlusion areas.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the path is adjusted based on the one or more tracks within the one or more occlusion areas.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more driving actions comprise one or more of the following: accelerating the vehicle; braking the vehicle; and steering the vehicle.

8 . A system to adjust a path, comprising:

a vehicle;

one or more sensors coupled to the vehicle configured to record sensor data of an environment of the vehicle; and

a computing device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the processor to:

detect, based on the sensor data, the environment of the vehicle;

identify a driving surface within the environment of the vehicle;

determine a path on the driving surface on which the vehicle may travel, based on the sensor data from the one or more sensors;

identify, using the one or more sensors, one or more objects relative to the driving surface;

detect one or more occlusion areas within the environment of the vehicle based on the sensor data from the one or more sensors;

track, using the one or more sensors, one or more tracks of one or more objects within the one or more occlusion areas;

add an uncertainty value to each of the one or more tracks within the one or more occlusion areas;

adjust the path on the driving surface based on the uncertainty value of the one or more tracks within the one or more occlusion areas; and

perform one or more driving actions to cause the vehicle to follow the path on the driving surface.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the uncertainty value of each of the one or more tracks is based on a time that has elapsed during which an object, corresponding to a track that is within the one or more occlusion areas, is within the one or more occlusion areas.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to cause the processor to increase the uncertainty value of the one or more tracks as time elapses.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the uncertainty value is based on a size of the one or more occlusion areas.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, are further configured to cause the processor to increase the uncertainty value with the size of the one or more occlusion areas.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting the path on the driving surface comprises adjusting the path based on the one or more tracks within the one or more occlusion areas.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more driving actions comprise one or more of the following: accelerating the vehicle; braking the vehicle; and steering the vehicle.

15 . A method to adjust a driving path in a planner-map, comprising:

detecting, using a computing device and sensor data from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle, an environment of the vehicle, wherein the computing device comprises a processor and a memory;

identifying, using the computing device, a driving surface within the environment of the vehicle based on the sensor data;

determining, using the computing device, a path on the driving surface on which the vehicle may travel, based on the sensor data from the one or more sensors;

identifying, using the one or more sensors, one or more objects relative to the driving surface;

detecting, using the computing device, one or more occlusion areas within the environment of the vehicle formed by the one or more objects;

adding, using the computing device, an uncertainty value of a potential additional object within the one or more occlusion areas;

adjusting, using the computing device, the path on the driving surface based on the uncertainty value of the potential additional object within the one or more occlusion areas; and

performing, using the computing device, one or more driving actions to cause the vehicle to follow the path on the driving surface.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more driving actions comprise one or more of the following: accelerating the vehicle; braking the vehicle; and steering the vehicle.

Assignments (3)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (43)