US 12,441,247 B2
Sensor assembly for autonomous vehicles
Donald Burnette, Mountain View, CA (US); Court Hinricher, Mountain View, CA (US); Jay Kuvelker, Mountain View, CA (US); Andreas Wendel, Mountain View, CA (US); John Zinn, Mountain View, CA (US); and Laura Shane, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Kodiak Robotics, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Kodiak Robotics, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 3, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/980,249.
Application 17/980,249 is a continuation of application No. 17/435,368, previously published as PCT/US2020/020450, filed on Feb. 28, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/812,779, filed on Mar. 1, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0058449 A1, Feb. 23, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B60R 1/12 (2006.01); B60R 1/06 (2006.01); B60R 11/04 (2006.01); G01S 13/86 (2006.01); G01S 13/931 (2020.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G03B 37/04 (2021.01); H04N 23/90 (2023.01); B60R 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC B60R 1/12 (2013.01) [B60R 1/0605 (2013.01); B60R 11/04 (2013.01); G01S 13/865 (2013.01); G01S 13/867 (2013.01); G01S 13/931 (2013.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G03B 37/04 (2013.01); H04N 23/90 (2023.01); B60R 2001/1223 (2013.01); B60R 2001/1253 (2013.01); B60R 2011/004 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An autonomous vehicle, comprising:
a tractor unit carriage having a right side and a left side; and
a sensor system comprising a left sensor assembly attached by an arm and projected outward from the left side of the tractor unit carriage and a right sensor assembly attached by an arm and projected outward from the right side of the tractor unit carriage;
each sensor assembly having an upper portion, a lower portion, a forward portion and a rearward portion, the sensor assembly having a vertical axis extending from the upper portion to the lower portion, a side view mirror coupled to the sensor assembly, and a plurality of sensors housed in the sensor assembly including at least one of each of a camera, a radar, and a lidar, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors extends vertically above the side view mirror of the sensor assembly and at least one of the plurality of sensors is positioned vertically below the arm;
wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors has a field of view directed in a direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle and at least one of the plurality of sensors has a field of view in a direction opposite the direction of travel,
wherein the at least one camera is a forward facing camera having a center of a field of view forward of the tractor unit carriage and the at least one lidar is a forward facing lidar having a center of a field of view forward of the tractor unit carriage,
wherein a combined field of view of the at least one lidar from each sensor assembly fully encompasses a combined field of view of the at least one camera from each sensor assembly,
wherein the sensor assembly has a sensor assembly combined field of view defined by a field of view of each of the at least one camera, the at least one radar, and the at least one lidar of the left sensor assembly and of each of the at least one camera, the at least one radar, and the at least one lidar of the right sensor assembly, the field of view of each of the at least one camera, the at least one radar, and the at least one lidar of the left sensor assembly is less than 360 degrees, and the field of view of each of the at least one camera, the at least one radar, and the at least one lidar of the right sensor assembly is less than 360 degrees, and
wherein the sensor assembly combined field of view provides a field of view around the autonomous vehicle of 360 degrees at a diameter of about 100 meters.