Zoox, Inc.

Leonardo Poubel Orenstein

Chuang Wang

James Graham Dolan

Prateek Chandresh Shah

Sy Kelly Olson

Tod Cameron Semple

Lingqiao Qin

Taylor Scott Clawson

Thomas Bernard Gacka

Matthew Lotocki

Takahiro Baba

Nicolas Roman Hammer

Techniques for determining a rear end collision probability for a vehicle are discussed herein. The rear end collision probability can be determined based on data associated with the vehicle and an object proximate the vehicle, probability distribution data, and a vehicle maneuver value. The probability distribution data, which can be received, may represent a reaction time of the object and a maneuver value of the object. The rear end collision probability can be utilized to control the vehicle.

Rear end collision probability calculation

Driving simulations may be generated based on driving log data and used to validate autonomous vehicle safety systems. A driving simulation system may receive driving log data from autonomous vehicles and determine events which caused a vehicle to diverge from a planned trajectory. Driving simulations may be generated based on the driving log data, and executed using a simulated vehicle that follows the initial planned trajectory of the autonomous vehicle. The driving simulations may be analyzed to detect potential collisions and near misses, and to determine success conditions for the behaviors of vehicle safety systems. Driving simulations and associated success conditions may be aggregated and used in validation suites for vehicle controllers and/or vehicle safety systems, thereby providing more comprehensive and robust autonomous vehicle validation based on real-world driving scenarios.

Autonomous vehicle safety system validation

Techniques for procedurally generating scenarios that verify and validate predictions from or operation of a vehicle safety system are discussed herein. Sensors of a vehicle may detect one or more objects in the environment. A model may determine intersection values indicative of probabilities that the object will intersect with a trajectory of the vehicle. A vehicle may receive one or more intersection values from a model usable by a computing device to validate a prediction from a vehicle safety system.

Procedurally generated safety system determination

Techniques for predicting and avoiding collisions with objects detected in an environment based on sensor data are discussed herein. Sensors of a vehicle may detect one or more objects in the environment. A model may determine intersection values indicative of probabilities that the object will follow different paths that intersect with a planned path of the vehicle. A vehicle may receive one or more intersection values from a model usable by a computing device to control the vehicle.

Allocation of safety system resources based on probability of intersection

An autonomous vehicle safety system may activate to prevent collisions by detecting that a planned trajectory may result in a collision. If the safety system is overly sensitive, it may cause false positive activations, and if the system isn't sensitive enough the collision avoidance system may not activate and prevent a collision, which is unacceptable. It may be impossible or prohibitively difficult to detect false positive activations of a safety system and it is unacceptable to risk a false negative, so tuning the safety system is notoriously difficult. Tuning the safety system may include detecting near-miss events using surrogate metrics, and tuning the safety system to increase or decrease a rate of near-miss events as a stand-in for false positives.

Tuning a safety system based on near-miss events

Determining whether another entity is coordinating with an autonomous vehicle and/or to what extent the other entity's behavior is based on the autonomous vehicle may comprise determining a collaboration score and/or negotiation score based at least in part on sensor data. The collaboration score may indicate an extent to which the entity is collaborating with the autonomous vehicle to navigate (e.g., a likelihood that the entity is increasingly yielding the right of way to the autonomous vehicle based on the autonomous vehicle's actions). A negotiation score may indicate an extent to which behavior exhibited by the entity is based on actions of the autonomous vehicle (e.g., how well the autonomous vehicle and the entity are communicating with their actions).

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San Mateo, CA, United States of America

Leonardo Poubel Orenstein