Google Inc.

Waymo LLC

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Apple Inc.

Choon Ping Chng

Cheng-Han Wu

Giulia Guidi

Chung Chun Wan

Honggang Sheng

Rachel Nancollas

Mark Hayter

Lucian Ion

Kimberly Geneva Toth

Alec Berg

Jun Hou

Tzungren A Tzeng

Alexandra Levich

James Han Wang

Suk Hwan Lim

Szepo Robert Hung

Blaise Hilary Aguera-Arcas

Shinye Shiu

Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Malyugin

Xuan Zhong

Luigi Semenzato

Ganesh Balachandran

Richard Morabito

Scott Duncan

Peter Strohm

Joongmin Yoon

Santhosh Rao

YooJung Ahn

Albert Shane

Jamyuen Ko

Ruchi Wadhawan

Zhaokun Wang

Puneet Kumar

Michael L Ott

Christopher Thomas Lyon

Allan Tzungren Tzeng

Chen-Ting Chuang

Rutvik Acharya

Miklos Szentkiralyi

Jeffrey Du

The technology provides an interior camera sensing system for self-driving vehicles. The sensor system includes image sensors and infrared illuminators to see the vehicle's cabin and storage areas in all ambient lighting conditions. The system can monitor the vehicle for safety purposes, to detect the cleanliness of the cabin and storage areas, as well as to detect whether packages or other objects have been inadvertently left in the vehicle. The cameras are arranged to focus on selected regions in the vehicle cabin and the system carries out certain actions in response to information evaluated for those regions. The interior space is divided into multiple zones assigned different coverage priorities. Regardless of vehicle size or configuration, certain actions are performed according to various ride checklists and the imagery detected by the interior cameras. The checklists include pre-ride, mid-ride, and post-ride checklists.

Interior camera system for a self driving car

Example embodiments described herein involve a system for testing a light-emitting module. The light-emitting module may include a mounting platform configured to hold a light-emitting module for a camera. The mounting platform may also be configured to rotate. The system may further include a housing holding a plurality of photodiodes arranged in an array over at least a 90 degree arc of a hemisphere. The system may also include a controller configured to control the photodiodes and the rotation of the mounting platform.

Infrared light module uniformity rotational test module

The technology involves an in-vehicle communication system with a console that is positioned within the cabin of the vehicle, for instance between the front seats so that passengers in the second row can view and access it. The console is configured to provide contextual information to passengers. The console includes a monitor assembly that has a display screen and a notification region. The notification region includes one or more displayable icons and at least one receptacle for a communication device of a passenger. The notification region has a first section comprising an outer cover layer with a first series of masking, diffuser and illuminating layers to selectively illuminate the one or more displayable icons. The notification region has a second section comprising the outer cover layer with a second series of masking, diffuser and illuminating layers to selectively illuminate the at least one receptacle for the communication device.

Autonomous vehicle console

The technology provides an interior camera sensing system for self-driving vehicles. The sensor system includes image sensors and infrared illuminators to see the vehicle's cabin and storage areas in all ambient lighting conditions. The system can monitor the vehicle for safety purposes, to detect the cleanliness of the cabin and storage areas, as well as to detect whether packages or other objects have been inadvertently left in the vehicle. The cameras are arranged to focus on selected regions in the vehicle cabin and the system carries out certain actions in response to information evaluated for those regions. The interior space is divided into multiple zones assigned different coverage priorities. Regardless of elude size or configuration, certain actions are performed according to various ride checklists and the imagery detected by the interior cameras. The checklists include pre-ride, mid-ride, and post-ride checklists.

Example embodiments relate to vehicle sensor modules with external audio receivers. An example sensor module may include sensors and can be coupled to a vehicle's roof with a first microphone positioned proximate to the front of the sensor module. The sensor module can also include a second microphone extending into a first side of the sensor module such that the second microphone is configured to detect audio originating from an environment located relative to a first side of the vehicle and a third microphone extending into a second side of the sensor module such that the third microphone is configured to detect audio originating from the environment located relative to a second side of the vehicle, wherein the second side is opposite of the first side.

Vehicle sensor modules with external audio receivers

A system includes multiple microphone arrays positioned at different locations on a roof of an autonomous vehicle. Each microphone array includes two or more microphones. Internal clocks of each microphone array are synchronized by a processor and used to generate timestamps indicating when microphones capture a sound. Based on the timestamps, the processor is configured to localize a source of the sound.

External microphone arrays for sound source localization

A camera module includes a housing with an opening and a portion that surrounds the opening, wherein the portion of the housing is transparent to near infrared (NIR) light. A fisheye lens is disposed within the opening such that a portion of the fisheye lens protrudes through the opening. An image sensor is disposed within the housing and optically coupled to the fisheye lens. The image sensor is sensitive to visible light and NIR light. A plurality of NIR light emitters is disposed within the housing. The NIR light emitters are configured to emit NIR light through the NIR-transparent portion of the housing. The NIR-transparent portion of the housing may include a light-diffusing structure, such as a pattern of microlenses formed on an inner surface of the NIR-transparent portion of the housing, to spread out the NIR light emitted by the NIR light emitters.

Camera module with IR LEDs for uniform illumination

A sensor module comprising a housing defining an internal cavity, the housing including an aperture, at least one microphone positioned in the internal cavity spaced from the aperture, a first barrier proximate the aperture, and a second barrier positioned between the at least one microphone and the first barrier.

Microphone module

A system includes a microphone unit coupled to a roof of an autonomous vehicle. The microphone unit includes a microphone board having a first opening. The microphone unit also includes a first microphone positioned over the first opening and coupled to the microphone board. The microphone unit further includes an accelerometer. The system also includes a processor coupled to the microphone unit.

Accelerometer inside of a microphone unit

In one general aspect, a method can include determining that a computing device is in a stationary position for a predetermined time, placing the computing device in a first power mode, detecting input from at least one sensor included in the computing device, identifying at least one application to launch on the computing device based on the detected input and on a heuristic-based usage pattern for the computing device, and transitioning the computing device from the first power mode to a second power mode based on the detected input. The transitioning can include automatically launching the at least one application on the computing device. The at least one application can provide content for display on a display device included in the computing device.

Intelligent device wakeup

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Choon Ping Chng