Zoox, Inc.

Yongzhe Chen

Samuel Holladay

Subasingha Shaminda Subasingha

Robert Nicholas Moor

Turhan Karadeniz

Joseph Patrick Warga

Harrison Thomas Waschura

Silas Kogure Wilkinson

Mehran Ferdowsi

Venkata Subrahmanyam Chandra Sekhar Chebiyyam

Shaminda Subasingha

Jonathan Solheim

Wuyang Yu

Ryan McMichael

Arvind Shivu Govinday

Sensors, including time-of-flight sensors, may be used to detect objects in an environment. In an example, a vehicle may include a time-of-flight sensor that images objects around the vehicle, e.g., so the vehicle can navigate relative to the objects. Sensor data generated by the time-of-flight sensor can return unreliable pixels, e.g., in the case of over-exposure or saturation. In some examples, composite sensor data can be generated based on information from multiple exposures captured at different exposure times. In examples, pixels in a first exposure are matched to pixels in a second exposure to account for relative movement of the vehicle and the detected object in the composite sensor data.

Generating composite data using long and short time-of-flight exposures

Techniques for determining multipath interference associated with a surface in an environment based on sensor data are discussed herein. The sensor data may be captured and received from a sensor associated with a vehicle travelling through an environment. The sensor data may include depth data (which may be received as phase data) and intensity data associated with the environment. The depth data and the intensity data may be associated with various surfaces in the environment. Based on the relative changes between corresponding depth data and intensity data for a particular surface, multipath interference associated with either of the depth data or the intensity data may be determined.

Multipath interference detection

Sensors, including time-of-flight sensors, may be used to detect objects in an environment. In an example, a vehicle may include a time-of-flight sensor that images objects around the vehicle, e.g., so the vehicle can navigate relative to the objects. Composite sensor data can be generated based on information from multiple exposures captured at different exposure times. In examples, a first depth determination technique is applied to a first subset of pixels and a second depth determination technique is applied to a second subset of the pixels. The first subset of pixels may correspond to pixels that are associated with a highly-reflective surface.

Localized depth disambiguation for time-of-flight data

Techniques for determining a distance to an object in an environment based on sensor data are discussed herein. The sensor data can be captured by a sensor, and the sensor data can be based on laser pulses emitted from emitters being differently spaced apart from the sensor. The sensor data can be utilized to determine distance data associated with an object. A difference between the distance data can be used to determine whether the distance data is associated with a retroreflector. If the difference in distance data is above a threshold, a confidence level of sensor data can be adjusted or the sensor data can be discarded or omitted from subsequent processing.

Glare detection in sensor data

Sensors, including time-of-flight sensors, may be used to detect objects in an environment. In an example, a vehicle may include a time-of-flight sensor that images objects around the vehicle, e.g., so the vehicle can navigate relative to the objects. The sensor may generate first image data at a first configuration and second image data at a second configuration. An estimated depth of an object may be determined from the first image data, and an actual depth of the object may be determined from the second image data, based on the estimated depth. In examples, the first and second configurations have different modulation frequencies such that a nominal maximum depth in the first configuration is greater than the nominal maximum depth in the second configuration.

Determining depth using multiple modulation frequencies

Sensors, including time-of-flight sensors, may be used to detect objects in an environment. In an example, a vehicle may include a time-of-flight sensor that images objects around the vehicle, e.g., so the vehicle can navigate relative to the objects. Sensor data generated by the time-of-flight sensor can include returns associated with highly reflective objects that cause glare. In some examples, a depth of a sensed surface is determined from the sensor data and additional pixels at the same depth are identified. The subset of pixels at the depth are filtered by comparing a measured intensity value to a threshold intensity value for the depth. Other threshold intensity values can be applied to subsets of pixels at different depths.

Depth dependent pixel filtering

Sensors, including time-of-flight sensors, may be used to detect objects in an environment. In an example, a vehicle may include a time-of-flight sensor that images objects around the vehicle, e.g., so the vehicle can navigate relative to the objects. The sensor may generate first image data at a first configuration and second image data at a second configuration. A disambiguated depth of a surface may be determined from the first image data and the second image data. If the disambiguated depth is greater than a nominal maximum depth of the sensor in the first configuration, an intensity of the surface may be determined from the first image data. If the intensity meets or exceeds a threshold intensity, the surface may be determined to be beyond the nominal maximum depth. If the intensity is less than the threshold intensity, an actual depth of the surface may be determined form the second image data as a distance less than the nominal maximum depth.

Determining pixels beyond nominal maximum sensor depth

Sensors, including time-of-flight sensors, may be used to detect objects in an environment. In an example, a vehicle may include a time-of-flight sensor that images objects around the vehicle, e.g., so the vehicle can navigate relative to the objects. Sensor data generated by the time-of-flight sensor can include saturated pixels, e.g., due to over-exposure, sensing highly-reflective objects, and/or excessive ambient light. In some examples, parameters associated with power of a time-of-flight sensor can be altered based on characteristics of the saturated pixels, as well as information about non-saturated pixels neighboring the saturated pixels. For example, the neighboring pixels may provide information about whether saturation is due to ambient light, e.g., sunlight, or due to emitted light from the sensor.

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Yongzhe Chen