Waymo LLC

Google Inc.

Uber Technologies, Inc.

Uatc, LLC

Anthony Scott Levandowski

Pierre-yves Droz

Gaetan Pennecot

Drew Eugene Ulrich

Daniel Gruver

Zachary Morriss

Samuel William Lenius

Bernard G Fidric

Luke Wachter

William McCann

Nathaniel Fairfield

Dorel Ionut Iordache

Matthew Sweeney

Rahim Pardhan

David Ian Ferguson

Brian Douglas Cullinane

Christopher Paul Urmson

Peter Avram

Dmitri A Dolgov

Sebastian Thrun

Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez

Molly Castle Nix

Bradley Templeton

Emily Bartel

Logan Rockmore

Zach Morriss

Eric Teller

Don Burnette

Chris Urmson

Philip Nemec

Pierre-Yves Droz

Charles L Chen

Tiruvilwamalai Venkatraman Raman

Ionut Iordache

William Mccann

A vehicle is provided that includes one or more wheels positioned at a bottom side of the vehicle. The vehicle also includes a first light detection and ranging device (LIDAR) positioned at a top side of the vehicle opposite to the bottom side. The first LIDAR is configured to scan an environment around the vehicle based on rotation of the first LIDAR about an axis. The first LIDAR has a first resolution. The vehicle also includes a second LIDAR configured to scan a field-of-view of the environment that extends away from the vehicle along a viewing direction of the second LIDAR. The second LIDAR has a second resolution. The vehicle also includes a controller configured to operate the vehicle based on the scans of the environment by the first LIDAR and the second LIDAR.

Vehicle with multiple light detection and ranging devices (LIDARs)

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to limiting the use of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle by particular occupants based on permission data. More specifically, permission data may include destinations, routes, and/or other information that is predefined or set by a third party. The vehicle may then access the permission data in order to transport the particular occupant to the predefined destination, for example, without deviation from the predefined route. The vehicle may drop the particular occupant off at the destination and may wait until the passenger is ready to move to another predefined destination. The permission data may be used to limit the ability of the particular occupant to change the route of the vehicle completely or by some maximum deviation value. For example, the vehicle may be able to deviate from the route up to a particular distance from or along the route.

Systems and methods for vehicles with limited destination ability

A LIDAR device may transmit light pulses originating from one or more light sources and may receive reflected light pulses that are then detected by one or more detectors. The LIDAR device may include a lens that both (i) collimates the light from the one or more light sources to provide collimated light for transmission into an environment of the LIDAR device and (ii) focuses the reflected light onto the one or more detectors. The lens may define a curved focal surface in a transmit path of the light from the one or more light sources and a curved focal surface in a receive path of the one or more detectors. The one or more light sources may be arranged along the curved focal surface in the transmit path. The one or more detectors may be arranged along the curved focal surface in the receive path.

Devices and methods for a rotating LIDAR platform with a shared transmit/receive path

Systems and methods are described that relate to a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device. The LIDAR device includes a fiber laser configured to emit light within a wavelength range, a scanning portion configured to direct the emitted light in a reciprocating manner about a first axis, and a plurality of detectors configured to sense light within the wavelength range. The device additionally includes a controller configured to receive target information, which may be indicative of an object, a position, a location, or an angle range. In response to receiving the target information, the controller may cause the rotational mount to rotate so as to adjust a pointing direction of the LIDAR. The controller is further configured to cause the LIDAR to scan a field-of-view (FOV) of the environment. The controller may determine a three-dimensional (3D) representation of the environment based on data from scanning the FOV.

Long range steerable LIDAR system

Methods and devices for detecting traffic signals and their associated states are disclosed. In one embodiment, an example method includes a scanning a target area using one or more sensors of a vehicle to obtain target area information. The vehicle may be configured to operate in an autonomous mode, and the target area may be a type of area where traffic signals are typically located. The method may also include detecting a traffic signal in the target area information, determining a location of the traffic signal, and determining a state of the traffic signal. Also, a confidence in the traffic signal may be determined. For example, the location of the traffic signal may be compared to known locations of traffic signals. Based on the state of the traffic signal and the confidence in the traffic signal, the vehicle may be controlled in the autonomous mode.

Robust method for detecting traffic signals and their associated states

A system can receive a destination change request inputted by a passenger of an autonomous vehicle, where the destination change request comprises a request to change a first destination of the passenger to a second destination. In response to receiving the destination change request, the system determines a feasibility indicator for the autonomous vehicle to travel to the second destination, and based on the feasibility indicator, determines a suggested destination being different from the second destination. The system transmits an instruction to a computing system of the autonomous vehicle, causing the computing system of the autonomous vehicle to reroute the autonomous vehicle to the suggested destination. The system then transmits an instruction to a computing device associated with a non-autonomous vehicle, where the instruction comprises a request or invitation for a driver of the non-autonomous vehicle to transport the passenger from the suggested destination to the second destination.

Destination changes in autonomous vehicles

An on-demand transport facilitation system can receive transport requests from requesting users throughout a given region, and select autonomous vehicles (AVs) and human driver to service the transport requests. The AV can operate on a mapped and labeled autonomy grid within the given region. For a given transport request, the transport system can determine an optimal pick-up location along the autonomy grid based on the current location of the requesting user and a current location of a selected AV, and transmit data indicating walking directions from the current location of the requesting user to the optimal pick-up location. The transport system may then coordinate the rendezvous by monitoring progress made by the requesting user and AV to the optimal pick-up location, and controlling the pace of the AV.

Coordinating on-demand transportation with autonomous vehicles

A method for processing destination change requests from passengers of autonomous vehicles can include determining one or more operating parameters for the autonomous vehicle, and based on the one or more operating parameters, determining a feasibility indicator for the autonomous vehicle to travel to the second destination. Based on the feasibility indicator, the method includes determining a suggested destination for the passenger and transmit an instruction to a computing system of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to reroute to the suggested destination. The method includes transmitting a set of travel directions to a computing device of the passenger, indicating a travel route from the suggested destination to the second destination.

Vehicle with multiple light detection and ranging devices (LIDARS)

Growing community of inventors

Berkeley, CA, United States of America

Anthony Scott Levandowski