Zoox, Inc.

Xuan Zhong

Nam Gook Cho

Shaminda Subasingha

David Donald Logan

Venkata Subrahmanyam Chandra Sekhar Chebiyyam

Subhasis Das

Mark Alan Bates

Nehemia Girma Terefe

Evan David Cook

Arvind Pattabhiraman

Caleb Heath Norfleet

MacKenzie Cunningham

Rohan Agrawal

Venkata Subrahrnanyarn Chandra Sekhar Chebiyyam

A method includes receiving an audio signal from a microphone and processing the audio signal to identify a signal component that is associated with a resonance of at least part of a microphone unit disposed on a vehicle. The microphone unit includes the microphone and a protective element arranged to shield the microphone from environmental material. The method includes determining, based at least in part on the identified signal components, a characteristic indicative of the protective element having shielded the microphone from environmental material.

Rain detection using exterior microphones

Systems and techniques for detecting and locating low impact collisions, such as relatively low energy impact collisions involving an autonomous vehicle, are disclosed herein. Sensor data from audio sensors configured on a vehicle may be used to determine whether a threshold number of such sensors have detected sounds associated with a collision. Scores determined for the sensors based on audio energy and confidence values can be used to determine a location estimate for the detected collision.

Event detection and localization using audio

An impact is detected with a vehicle having a body comprising parts which are deformable in an impact, by a secondary impact detection system configured to detect an impact that may not trigger a primary impact detection system. The secondary impact detection system comprises a plurality of deformation sensors attached to the deformable parts and configured to detect bending of the deformable parts. One or more processors are configured to receive a plurality of respective outputs from the plurality of deformation sensors, process the respective outputs to increase sensitivity to short-term changes relative to long-term changes and generate an indication of an impact dependent on detecting a processed output meeting a predetermined criterion. Outputs associated with a group of neighboring flex sensors may be used to localize the impact, characterize the source of impact, and/or reduce a likelihood of a false positive associated with the detection.

Detection of an impact with a vehicle

Techniques for cleaning and calibrating a microphone are discussed herein. For example, a computing device can implement a microphone component to operate a speaker adjacent to a microphone to cause removal of an obstruction (e.g., rain, mud, dirt, dust, snow, ice, animal droppings, etc.) on or near the microphone. The microphone component can also or instead cause the speaker to output a frequency for testing operation of the microphone. By implementing the cleaning and/or calibrating techniques described herein, foreign particle(s) of varying size and type can be dislodged from an area near the microphone to improve performance of the microphone.

Microphone cleaning and calibration

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Xuan Zhong