US 11,686,836 B2
Real-time and dynamic localization using active doppler sensing systems for vehicles
Cyrus F. Abari, San Bruno, CA (US); Harsh Mohan, Fremont, CA (US); Haomin Wang, Pittsburgh, PA (US); and Piaoyang Cui, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Pony AI Inc., Grand Cayman (KY)
Filed by Pony Al Inc., Grand Cayman (KY)
Filed on Feb. 10, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/786,863.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/960,446, filed on Jan. 13, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0215808 A1, Jul. 15, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01S 13/52 (2006.01); G01S 7/40 (2006.01); G01S 7/497 (2006.01); G01S 13/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 13/52 (2013.01) [G01S 7/40 (2013.01); G01S 7/497 (2013.01); G01S 13/931 (2013.01); G01S 2013/932 (2020.01); G01S 2013/9323 (2020.01); G01S 2013/9324 (2020.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system on a moving vehicle comprising:
an active Doppler sensor;
one or more processors; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to perform:
obtaining a Doppler velocity from each of one or more entities using the active Doppler sensor, wherein the Doppler velocity is with respect to the moving vehicle;
determining one or more calibration parameters of the active Doppler sensor based on respective Doppler velocities from at least a portion of the entities, wherein the determining of the one or more calibration parameters comprises:
determining one or more stationary entities, within the one or more entities;
forming one or more clusters, each of the clusters comprising at least a portion of the one or more stationary entities and defining a relationship between a location of one of the entities with respect to the active Doppler sensor and the Doppler velocity of the respective one of the entities;
fitting, to each of the one or more clusters, a signal model defining the Doppler velocities of the each of the entities in relation to a mounting offset angle or an azimuth offset angle of the active Doppler sensor and a mounting location of the active Doppler sensor;
determining a degree of fit of the signal model to each of the one or more clusters;
removing any of the clusters having a degree of fit lower than a threshold while retaining remaining clusters; and determining the one or more calibration parameters based on the retained remaining clusters;
determining a location of the vehicle based on one or more of the calibration parameters; and
causing the vehicle to perform a driving action based on the determined location.