US 12,439,003 B2
Real-time adjustment of vehicle sensor field of view volume
Simon Verghese, Mountain View, CA (US); and Alexander McCauley, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/002,092.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/952,879, filed on Dec. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0191399 A1, Jun. 24, 2021
Int. Cl. G08G 1/048 (2006.01); B60W 30/095 (2012.01); B60W 60/00 (2020.01); G01S 7/483 (2006.01); G01S 7/497 (2006.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G01W 1/06 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G05D 1/81 (2024.01); G06V 10/44 (2022.01); G06V 10/88 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G08G 1/01 (2006.01); G08G 1/04 (2006.01); H04N 7/18 (2006.01); H04N 23/69 (2023.01); G05D 1/243 (2024.01); G05D 1/247 (2024.01)
CPC H04N 7/18 (2013.01) [B60W 30/0956 (2013.01); B60W 60/001 (2020.02); G01S 7/483 (2013.01); G01S 7/497 (2013.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G01W 1/06 (2013.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/81 (2024.01); G06V 10/44 (2022.01); G06V 10/89 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G08G 1/0112 (2013.01); G08G 1/0116 (2013.01); G08G 1/04 (2013.01); G08G 1/048 (2013.01); H04N 23/69 (2023.01); B60W 2420/403 (2013.01); B60W 2420/408 (2024.01); B60W 2556/45 (2020.02); G05D 1/0251 (2013.01); G05D 1/0257 (2013.01); G05D 1/2435 (2024.01); G05D 1/247 (2024.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
10. A system comprising:
one or more sensors, each sensor of the one or more sensors being configured to operate in accordance with a field of view volume;
one or more processors coupled to the one or more sensors; and
a memory coupled to the one or more processors and having stored thereon instructions that, upon execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
processing sensor data transmitted by at least one sensor of the one or more sensors based on a first field of view of view volume;
determining a future operating environment of an autonomous vehicle from among a plurality of defined operating environments, wherein the plurality of defined operating environments comprises three or more of: (i) a default state, (ii) a clear weather state, (iii) a daytime operation state, (iv) a nighttime operation state, (v) a rainy weather state, (vi) a snowy weather state, (vii) a foggy weather state, (viii) a state for a particular type of a road on which the autonomous vehicle is travelling, (ix) a state in which at least a threshold quantity of vehicles are on the road within a threshold distance from the autonomous vehicle or (x) a state in which at least one sensor of the one or more sensors has a sensor error, wherein the future operating environment is associated with a particular location along a route of travel of the autonomous vehicle;
selecting an adjusted field of view volume based on the determined future operating environment of the autonomous vehicle and a mapping between each defined operating environment of the plurality of defined operating environments and a corresponding adjusted field of view volume for at least one sensor of the one or more sensors; and
adjusting a field of view volume of the at least one sensor from the first field of view volume to the adjusted field of view volume before the autonomous vehicle reaches the particular location, wherein the adjusted field of view volume is different from the first field of view volume, wherein adjusting the field of view volume of the at least one sensor from the first field of view volume to the adjusted field of view volume comprises processing sensor data transmitted by the at least one sensor based on the adjusted field of view volume instead of the first field of view volume, and wherein processing sensor data transmitted by the at least one sensor based on the adjusted field of view volume comprises ignoring any sensor data transmitted by the at least one sensor that corresponds to a range, azimuth, or elevation greater than a respective range, azimuth or elevation of the adjusted field of view volume.