Laser ranging process for road and obstacle detection in navigating an autonomous vehicle
US8755997B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 30, 2008 |
| Grant date | Jun 17, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 8, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/86
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and system provide road and obstacle detection in navigating an autonomous vehicle. The method comprises scanning a distance ahead of the autonomous vehicle to obtain a current range scan, and obtaining navigation data, including dynamics, position, and orientation measurements of the autonomous vehicle. The current range scan is transformed to world coordinates with respect to a reference location based on the navigation data, and the transformed current range scan is input into a distance-based accumulator. The transformed current range scan is added to a variable size buffer when the autonomous vehicle is deemed to be non-stationary. A ground plane is estimated from the transformed current range scan and prior range scans stored in the variable size buffer. The estimated ground plane is represented as a constrained quadratic surface, which is classified into one or more of a traversable area, a non-traversable area, or an obstacle area for navigation of the autonomous vehicle.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.