IP Library Granted Patent US 12,248,075
Granted Patent B2
US 12,248,075 · App. 18/672,986 · Granted Mar 11, 2025

System and method for identifying travel way features for autonomous vehicle motion control

Inventors: Raquel Urtasun (Toronto, CA); Min Bai (Toronto, CA); Shenlong Wang (Toronto, CA)
Assignee: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.
G01S17/931G06T7/10G06T7/70G06T17/00G06T17/10G06V10/26G06V10/803G06V20/56G06V20/582G06T2207/20081G06T2207/20084G06T2207/30252
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,248,075
App. No.
18/672,986
Granted
Mar 11, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying travel way features in real time are provided. A method can include receiving two-dimensional and three-dimensional data associated with the surrounding environment of a vehicle. The method can include providing the two-dimensional data as one or more input into a machine-learned segmentation model to output a two-dimensional segmentation. The method can include fusing the two-dimensional segmentation with the three-dimensional data to generate a three-dimensional segmentation. The method can include storing the three-dimensional segmentation in a classification database with data indicative of one or more previously generated three-dimensional segmentations. The method can include providing one or more datapoint sets from the classification database as one or more inputs into a machine-learned enhancing model to obtain an enhanced three-dimensional segmentation. And, the method can include identifying one or more travel way features based at least in part on the enhanced three-dimensional segmentation.

Claims (52)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining three-dimensional data associated with an environment of an autonomous vehicle at a current time;

generating a current three-dimensional segmentation based on the three dimensional data associated with the environment of the autonomous vehicle at the current time;

obtaining a previously generated three-dimensional segmentation associated with the environment of the autonomous vehicle;

generating an updated three-dimensional segmentation based on the current three-dimensional segmentation and the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation;

determining a travel way feature within the environment based on the updated three-dimensional segmentation; and

controlling an operation of the autonomous vehicle based on the travel way feature within the environment.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising:

providing, for storage in a memory, the current three-dimensional segmentation, wherein storage of the current three-dimensional segmentation in the memory updates the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the updated three-dimensional segmentation comprises a plurality of three-dimensional datapoints, the plurality of three-dimensional datapoints indicative of an estimated segmentation of aggregated three-dimensional points at the current time.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of datapoints correspond to the travel way feature associated with the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising:

iteratively updating the current three-dimensional segmentation at one or more times succeeding the current time.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the operation of the autonomous vehicle comprises controlling a motion of the autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

initiating a motion control of the autonomous vehicle based on the travel way feature within the environment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , comprising:

generating a motion plan based on the travel way feature within the environment; and

providing, to a vehicle control system, data based on the motion plan of the autonomous vehicle.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation and the updated three-dimensional segmentation are stored in non-parametric memory.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation and the updated three-dimensional segmentation are stored remote from the autonomous vehicle.

10. An autonomous vehicle control system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the autonomous vehicle control system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

obtaining three-dimensional data associated with an environment of an autonomous vehicle at a current time;

generating a current three-dimensional segmentation based on the three dimensional data associated with the environment of the autonomous vehicle at the current time;

obtaining a previously generated three-dimensional segmentation associated with the environment of the autonomous vehicle;

generating an updated three-dimensional segmentation based on the current three-dimensional segmentation and the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation;

determining a travel way feature within the environment based on the updated three-dimensional segmentation; and

controlling the autonomous vehicle based on the travel way feature within the environment.

11. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:

providing, for storage in a memory, the current three-dimensional segmentation, wherein storage of the current three-dimensional segmentation in the memory updates the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation.

12. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:

iteratively updating the current three-dimensional segmentation at one or more times succeeding the current time.

13. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:

initiating a motion control of the autonomous vehicle based on the travel way feature within the environment.

14. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 10 , wherein the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation and the updated three-dimensional segmentation are stored in non-parametric memory.

15. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 10 , wherein the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation and the updated three-dimensional segmentation are stored remote from the autonomous vehicle.

16. One or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:

obtaining three-dimensional data associated with an environment of an autonomous vehicle at a current time;

generating a current three-dimensional segmentation based on the three dimensional data associated with the environment of the autonomous vehicle at the current time;

obtaining a previously generated three-dimensional segmentation associated with the environment of the autonomous vehicle;

generating an updated three-dimensional segmentation based on the current three-dimensional segmentation and the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation;

determining a travel way feature within the environment based on the updated three-dimensional segmentation; and

controlling the autonomous vehicle based on the travel way feature within the environment.

17. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the operations comprise:

providing, for storage in a memory, the current three-dimensional segmentation, wherein storage of the current three-dimensional segmentation in the memory updates the previously generated three-dimensional segmentation.

18. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 17 , wherein the memory stores one or more past observations associated with the environment of the autonomous vehicle.

19. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the operations comprise:

initiating a motion control of the autonomous vehicle based on the travel way feature within the environment; and

initiating a motion of the autonomous vehicle based on the travel way feature within the environment.

20. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the operations comprise:

iteratively updating the current three-dimensional segmentation at one or more times succeeding the current time.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 15, 2024
From: BAI, MIN; WANG, SHENLONG
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 067984/0201 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 15, 2024
From: URTASUN, RAQUEL
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 067984/0207 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2024
From: UATC, LLC
To: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 067733/0001 →