US 12,394,175 B2
Visibility determinations in physical space using evidential illumination values
Edouard Francois Marc Capellier, Singapore (SG)
Assigned to Motional AD LLC, Boston, MA (US)
Filed by Motional AD LLC, Boston, MA (US)
Filed on Aug. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/817,954.
Prior Publication US 2024/0046605 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. G06V 10/60 (2022.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G06V 10/28 (2022.01); G06V 10/82 (2022.01); G06V 10/98 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01)
CPC G06V 10/60 (2022.01) [G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01); G06V 10/28 (2022.01); G06V 10/82 (2022.01); G06V 10/993 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method, as implemented by one or more processors, comprising:
receiving, by the one or more processors, first data corresponding to an image of a physical space captured by a camera;
calculating, by the one or more processors, an intensity threshold for the first data distinguishing well-lit pixels within the first data from not-well-lit pixels within the first data, wherein calculating the intensity threshold for the first data comprises converting the first data to greyscale, and wherein converting the first data to greyscale comprises generating a transmittance map for the first data;
generating, by the one or more processors, an evidential illumination map for the image based at least partly on a comparison between a value of each pixel in first data to an intensity threshold, wherein the evidential illumination map indicates an uncertainty that one or more pixels of the image depict a well-lit area;
obtaining, by the one or more processors, second data corresponding to a three-dimensional representation of the physical space;
using the second data, projecting, by the one or more processors, the evidential illumination map onto the physical space; and
identifying, by the one or more processors, a visibility of one or more positions in the physical space based on projection of the evidential illumination map onto the physical space.