US 12,269,505 B2
Photometric stereo for vehicle navigation
David Michael Herman, West Bloomfield, MI (US); Larry Sanders, Monroe, MI (US); Binduhasini Sairamesh, Milpitas, CA (US); and Akshay Vaidya, Canton, MI (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Jan. 16, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/154,892.
Prior Publication US 2024/0239367 A1, Jul. 18, 2024
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); B60Q 1/00 (2006.01); B60W 40/10 (2012.01); G06T 7/593 (2017.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01)
CPC B60W 60/001 (2020.02) [B60Q 1/0035 (2013.01); B60W 40/10 (2013.01); G06T 7/593 (2017.01); B60W 2520/00 (2013.01); B60W 2554/00 (2020.02); B60W 2556/00 (2020.02); G06T 2207/10152 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30252 (2013.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
sequentially activate a plurality of lamps aimed at a scene, the lamps mounted to a vehicle;
receive image data of the scene generated while sequentially activating the lamps;
generate a map of surface normals of the scene by executing a photometric stereo algorithm on the image data;
in response to a speed of the vehicle being below a speed threshold, navigate the vehicle based on the map of the surface normals; and
in response to the speed of the vehicle being above the speed threshold, refrain from navigating the vehicle based on the map of the surface normals.