IP Library Granted Patent US 12,422,273
Granted Patent B2
US 12,422,273 · App. 18/093,611 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Handling unmapped speed limit signs

Inventors: Neal Seegmiller (Pittsburgh, PA); Patrick Barone (San Francisco, CA); Xi Cai (Berkeley, CA); Aman Khurana (Pittsburgh, PA); Joshua Jaekel (Detroit, MI); Arsenii Saranin (Wexford, PA); Hasan Tafish (Foster City, CA)
Assignee: Volkswagen Group of America Investments, LLC
G01C21/3815G01C21/3461G06V20/582
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,422,273
App. No.
18/093,611
Granted
Sep 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for handling unmapped speed limit signs. For example, the method includes receiving sensor data from a sensor of a vehicle, identifying a traffic sign within a field of view of the vehicle based on the sensor data, identifying one or more lane segments of a road associated with the identified traffic sign based on a determination that the identified traffic sign is not mapped in a priori map, and updating an attribute associated with a segment of the one or more lane segments of the road based on a determination that a detected attribute corresponding to the identified sign is more restrictive than an attribute associated with the lane segment in the a priori map.

Claims (50)

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, using one or more computer devices, a traffic sign within a field of view of a vehicle based on the sensor data from a sensor of a vehicle;

identifying, using the one or more computer devices, one or more lane segments of a road associated with the identified traffic sign based on a determination that the identified traffic sign is not mapped in a priori map;

updating, by the one or more computer devices, an attribute associated with a segment of the one or more lane segments of the road based on a determination that a detected attribute corresponding to the identified traffic sign is more restrictive than the attribute associated with the lane segment in the a priori map;

identifying, by the one or more computer devices, a neighbor segment of a proximate lane segment and a successor segment of the proximate lane segment, wherein the proximate lane segment is within a position and an orientation threshold of the identified traffic sign, and wherein the neighbor segment and the successor segment have a same travel direction as the proximate lane segment;

updating, by the one or more computer devices, a speed limit associated with at least one of the neighbor segment or the successor segment in response to a failure to identify a mapped traffic sign associated with the neighbor segment or the successor segment; and

adjusting, by the one or more computer devices, a vehicle trajectory for the vehicle based on the identified traffic sign and a predicted action of an actor that is proximate to the vehicle, wherein the predicted action is predicted based on the identified traffic sign and the updated speed limit.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

tracking a probability distribution of a type of the identified traffic sign over time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identified traffic sign is a speed limit sign and wherein the attribute is a speed limit associated with the one or more lane segments.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

comparing data associated with the identified traffic sign with a record of false positive detections; and

disregarding the identified traffic sign based on a determination that the identified traffic sign is a false positive.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

logging an annotation for the identified traffic sign when the identified traffic sign is an unmapped sign; and

updating the a priori map based on a determination that the unmapped sign is a permanent traffic sign.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

comparing the identified traffic sign to signs in the a priori map to determine whether the identified traffic sign is mapped, wherein the identified traffic sign is mapped when a type of the identified traffic sign matches a type of a mapped sign in the a priori map and is within a position and orientation tolerance of the mapped sign.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

updating a record of false positive detections in response to determining that the identified traffic sign is a false positive detection.

8. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

identify a traffic sign within a field of view of a vehicle based on the sensor data from a sensor of the vehicle;

identify one or more lane segments of a road associated with the identified traffic sign based on a determination that the identified traffic sign is not mapped in a priori map;

update an attribute associated with a segment of the one or more lane segments of the road based on a determination that a detected attribute corresponding to the identified traffic sign is more restrictive than the attribute associated with a lane segment in the a priori map;

identify a neighbor segment of a proximate lane segment and a successor segment of the proximate lane segment, wherein the proximate lane segment is within a position and an orientation threshold of the identified traffic sign, and wherein the neighbor segment and the successor segment have a same travel direction as the proximate lane segment;

update a speed limit associated with at least one of the neighbor segment or the successor segment in response to a failure to identify a mapped traffic sign associated with the neighbor segment or the successor segment; and

adjust a vehicle trajectory for the vehicle based on the identified traffic sign and a predicted action of an actor that is proximate to the vehicle, wherein the predicted action is predicted based on the identified traffic sign and the updated speed limit.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

track a probability distribution of a type of the identified traffic sign over time.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the identified traffic sign is a speed limit sign and wherein the attribute is a speed limit associated with the one or more lane segments.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

compare data associated with the identified traffic sign with a record of false positive detections; and

disregard the identified traffic sign based on a determination that the identified traffic sign is a false positive.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

log an annotation for the identified traffic sign when the identified traffic sign is an unmapped sign; and

update the a priori map based on a determination that the unmapped sign is a permanent traffic sign.

13. 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:

identifying a traffic sign within a field of view of a vehicle based on sensor data from a sensor of the vehicle;

identifying one or more lane segments of a road associated with the identified traffic sign based on a determination that the identified traffic sign is not mapped in a priori map; and

updating an attribute associated with a segment of the one or more lane segments of the road based on a determination that a detected attribute corresponding to the identified sign is more restrictive than an attribute associated with the lane segment in the a priori map;

identifying a neighbor segment of a proximate lane segment and a successor segment of the proximate lane segment, wherein the proximate lane segment is within a position and an orientation threshold of the identified traffic sign, and wherein the neighbor segment and the successor segment have a same travel direction as the proximate lane segment;

updating a speed limit associated with at least one of the neighbor segment or the successor segment in response to a failure to identify a mapped traffic sign associated with the neighbor segment or the successor segment; and

adjusting a vehicle trajectory for the vehicle based on the identified traffic sign and a predicted action of an actor that is proximate to the vehicle, wherein the predicted action is predicted based on the identified traffic sign and the updated speed limit.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , the operations further comprising:

tracking a probability distribution of a type of the identified traffic sign over time.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , the operations further comprising:

comparing data associated with the identified traffic sign with a record of false positive detections; and

disregarding the identified traffic sign based on a determination that the identified traffic sign is a false positive.

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 Jan 6, 2023
From: SEEGMILLER, NEAL; BARONE, PATRICK; CAI, XI; KHURANA, AMAN; JAEKEL, JOSHUA; SARANIN, ARSENII; TAFISH, HASAN
To: ARGO AI, LLC
Reel/Frame 062303/0019 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240230366A1 · Jul 11, 2024
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