US 11,958,505 B2
Identifying the position of a horn honk or other acoustical information using multiple autonomous vehicles
Nicholas Armstrong-Crews, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 21, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/934,132.
Prior Publication US 2022/0024484 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); B60W 40/02 (2006.01); B60W 50/06 (2006.01); G06N 5/04 (2023.01); G06N 20/00 (2019.01); G10L 25/51 (2013.01); H04R 1/40 (2006.01); H04R 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC B60W 60/0016 (2020.02) [B60W 40/02 (2013.01); B60W 50/06 (2013.01); G06N 5/04 (2013.01); G06N 20/00 (2019.01); G10L 25/51 (2013.01); H04R 1/406 (2013.01); H04R 3/005 (2013.01); B60W 2420/54 (2013.01); B60W 2556/45 (2020.02); H04R 2201/401 (2013.01); H04R 2499/13 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
obtaining, by one or more acoustical sensors of a perception system of a first vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode, first audio sensor data of a first instance of a sound emanated in an external environment around the first vehicle, the one or more acoustical sensors being configured to detect the sound;
receiving, by one or more processors of the first vehicle, second audio sensor data of the first instance of the sound from one or more second vehicles operating in the autonomous driving mode, the second audio sensor data including a direction-of-arrival and a timestamp;
determining, by the one or more processors based on the first audio sensor data, the second audio sensor data, a location of the first vehicle at the timestamp, and respective locations of the one or more second vehicles at the timestamp, an estimated location of the first instance of the sounds;
determining, by the one or more processors based on the first audio sensor data, the second audio sensor data, the location of the first vehicle at the timestamp, and the respective locations of the one or more second vehicles at the timestamp, a particular object from which the first instance of the sound emanated;
determining, by the one or more processors based on the first audio sensor data and the second audio sensor data, a type of the sound; and
modifying, by the one or more processors based on the type of the sound, the estimated location of the first instance of the sound, and a type of the particular object, a driving operation of the first vehicle operating in the autonomous driving mode.