Sensor fusion for object-avoidance detection

Abstract

This document describes techniques, apparatuses, and systems for sensor fusion for object-avoidance detection, including stationary-object height estimation. A sensor fusion system may include a two-stage pipeline. In the first stage, time-series radar data passes through a detection model to produce radar range detections. In the second stage, based on the radar range detections and camera detections, an estimation model detects an over-drivable condition associated with stationary objects in a travel path of a vehicle. By projecting radar range detections onto pixels of an image, a histogram tracker can be used to discern pixel-based dimensions of stationary objects and track them across frames. With depth information, a highly accurate pixel-based width and height estimation can be made, which after applying over-drivability thresholds to these estimations, a vehicle can quickly and safely make over-drivability decisions about objects in a road.