Abstract: A method for controlling a first sensor configured to sense an environment through which a vehicle is moving includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors of the vehicle as the vehicle moves through the environment, identifying, by one or more processors and based on at least a portion of the received sensor data, one or more road portions along which the vehicle is expected to travel, and determining, by one or more processors, a configuration of the identified road portions, at least in part by determining a slope of at least one of the identified road portions. The method also includes determining, by one or more processors analyzing at least the determined configuration, an elevation of a field of regard of the first sensor that satisfies one or more visibility criteria, and causing the first sensor to be adjusted in accordance with the determined elevation.

Abstract: A computer-readable medium stores instructions executable by one or more processors to implement an aggregate self-driving control architecture (SDCA) for controlling an autonomous vehicle. The aggregate SDCA includes a plurality of SDCAs each including a different motion planner. Each motion planner is configured to receive signals descriptive of a current state of an environment through which the autonomous vehicle is moving, and each SDCA is configured to generate candidate decisions for controlling the autonomous vehicle by using the respective motion planner to process the received signals. The aggregate SDCA also includes a decision arbiter configured to receive the candidate decisions generated by the SDCAs, generate decisions for controlling the autonomous vehicle by processing the candidate decisions, and provide signals indicative of the generated decisions to one or more operational subsystems of the vehicle to effectuate maneuvering of the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a body with multiple interior and exterior surfaces and a lidar system including a set of one or more sensor units. Each sensor unit includes a light source configured to emit light, a scanner configured to direct the emitted light to scan a field of regard of the sensor unit according to a scan pattern, a receiver configured to detect the light scattered by one or more remote targets, and a housing enclosing the light source, the scanner, and the receiver. The housing of each sensor unit is embedded in one of the interior or exterior surfaces, so that a first portion of the housing projects out of the body and a second portion of the housing is inside the body.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of determining relative velocity between a vehicle and an object. The method includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors of the vehicle. The one or more sensors are configured to sense an environment through which the vehicle is moving by following a scan pattern comprising component scan lines. The method also includes obtaining, based on the sensor data and by one or more processors, two or more point cloud frames representative of the environment and tracking, by the one or more processors, a point cloud object across the two or more point cloud frames. Additionally, the method includes determining, based on the tracking and by the one or more processors, a relative velocity of the point cloud object and correcting, by the one or more processors, the point cloud object based on the relative velocity of the point cloud object.

Abstract: A lidar system can include a light source that emits a pulse of light and a splitter that splits the pulse of light into two or more pulses of angularly separated light. The lidar system can also include a scanner configured to scan pulses of light along a scanning direction across a plurality of pixels located downrange from the lidar system. The lidar system can also include a detector array with a first detector and a second detector. The first and second detectors can be separated by a detector-separation distance along a direction corresponding to the scanning direction of the light pulses. The first detector can be configured to detect scattered light from the first pulse of light and the second detector can be configured to detect scattered light from the second pulse of light.

Abstract: Post-processing in a lidar system may be guided by camera information as described herein. In one embodiment, a camera system has a camera to capture images of the scene. An image processor is configured to classify an object in the images from the camera. A lidar system generates a point cloud of the scene and a modeling processor is configured to correlate the classified object to a plurality of points of the point cloud and to model the plurality of points as the classified object over time in a 3D model of the scene.

Abstract: Various software techniques for managing operation of autonomous vehicles based on sensor data are disclosed herein. A computing system may generate, based on a set of signals descriptive of a current state of an environment in which the autonomous vehicle is operating, a normal path plan separate from a safe path plan, or a hybrid path plan including a normal path plan and a safe path plan. In generating the safe path plan, the computing system may generate and concatenate a set of motion primitives. When a fault condition occurs, the computing device may transition from executing the normal path plan to executing the safe path plan to safely stop the autonomous vehicle.

Abstract: A method for controlling at least a first sensor of a vehicle, which senses an environment through which the vehicle is moving by producing a plurality of scan lines arranged according to a spatial distribution, includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors. The one or more sensors are configured to sense the environment through which the vehicle is moving. The method also includes identifying, by one or more processors and based on the received sensor data, one or more areas of interest in the environment, and causing, by one or more processors and based on the areas of interest, the spatial distribution of the plurality of scan lines produced by the first sensor to be adjusted.

Abstract: A lidar system comprises a light source to emit pulses of light, a scanner, a receiver, and a controller. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror with reflective surfaces, the reflective surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block. The scanner further includes a polygon mirror axle extending into the block, about which the block rotates, a rotary encoder having a rotational component with an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, the rotational component having one or more characteristics configured to cause the rotary encoder to return a signal, and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle. The controller is configured to determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the signal returned from the rotary encoder.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of determining relative velocity between a vehicle and an object. The method includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors of the vehicle. The one or more sensors are configured to sense an environment through which the vehicle is moving by following a scan pattern comprising component scan lines. The method also includes obtaining, based on the sensor data and by one or more processors, two or more point cloud frames representative of the environment and tracking, by the one or more processors, a point cloud object across the two or more point cloud frames. Additionally, the method includes determining, based on the tracking and by the one or more processors, a relative velocity of the point cloud object and correcting, by the one or more processors, the point cloud object based on the relative velocity of the point cloud object.

Abstract: A thermal imager is used to confirm object classifications as described. In one example, a scene modeling system has a sensor system to generate an image of a scene. A thermal camera generates a thermal image of the scene within a field of regard, and a modeling processor coupled to the sensor system and to the thermal camera correlates a position of a selected object in the scene to the field of regard of the thermal camera and queries the thermal camera to confirm a classification of the selected object. The thermal camera is configured to receive the position of the selected object and to confirm the classification.

Abstract: A lidar system can include a solid-state laser to emit pulses of light. The solid-state laser can include a Q-switched laser having a gain medium and a Q-switch. The lidar system can also include a scanner configured to scan the emitted pulses of light across a field of regard and a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the scanned pulses of light scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The lidar system can also include a processor configured to determine the distance from the lidar system to the target based at least in part on a round-trip time of flight for an emitted pulse of light to travel from the lidar system to the target and back to the lidar system.

Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source configured to emit light, a scanner configured to scan a field of regard of the lidar system using (i) a first output beam that includes at least a portion of the emitted light and has a first amount of power and (ii) a second output beam that includes at least a portion of the emitted light and has a second amount of power different from the first amount of power, with an angular separation between the first output beam and the second output beam along a vertical dimension of the field of regard, and a receiver configured to detect light associated with the first output beam and light associated with the second output beam scattered by one or more remote targets.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit multiple optical signals directed into a field of regard of the lidar system. The optical signals include a first optical signal and a second optical signal, where the second optical signal is emitted a particular time interval after the first optical signal is emitted. The lidar system also includes a receiver configured to detect a received optical signal that includes a portion of the emitted first or second optical signal that is scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The received optical signal is detected after the second optical signal is emitted. The receiver includes a first detector configured to detect a first portion of the received optical signal and a second detector configured to detect a second portion of the received optical signal.

Abstract: Various software techniques for managing operation of autonomous vehicles based on sensor data are disclosed herein. A computing system may generate, based on a set of signals descriptive of a current state of an environment in which the autonomous vehicle is operating, a normal path plan separate from a safe path plan, or a hybrid path plan including a normal path plan and a safe path plan. In generating the safe path plan, the computing system may generate and concatenate a set of motion primitives. When a fault condition occurs, the computing device may transition from executing the normal path plan to executing the safe path plan to safely stop the autonomous vehicle.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a fiber-optic amplifier includes an optical gain fiber configured to amplify input light received from a seed laser. The optical gain fiber includes a first gain section configured to: receive the seed-laser input light and co-propagating pump light; and amplify the seed-laser input light as it propagates along the first gain section. The seed-laser input light and the co-propagating pump light propagate along the first gain section in a same direction. The optical gain fiber also includes a second gain section configured to: receive the amplified input light from the first gain section; receive counter-propagating pump light; and further amplify the amplified input light as it propagates along the second gain section. The amplified input light and the counter-propagating pump light propagate along the second gain section in opposite directions. The fiber-optic amplifier also includes a first pump laser diode and a second pump laser diode.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of detecting object distortion. The method includes receiving sensor data generated by a plurality of sensors of the vehicle. The plurality of sensors includes a first set of one or more sensors configured to sense an environment by sequentially advancing through a plurality of points in a scan pattern. The plurality of sensors also include a second set of one or more sensors configured to sense the environment by capturing an entirety of the frame at a single time. The method also includes comparing a shape of the point cloud representation of the object to a shape of the object as sensed by the second set of sensors and identifying that the object is distorted based on the shape of the point cloud representation of the object component not matching the shape of the object as sensed by the second set of sensors.

Abstract: A dynamic vision sensor (DVS) camera is described that directs scanning of a lidar. In one example, a DVS has an array of pixels, wherein each DVS pixel comprises a photodetector, and is configured to detect temporal contrast and generate an event in response. A lidar system has a light source configured to emit light, a scanner configured to direct the emitted light along a scan pattern contained within a field of regard of the lidar system, and a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the emitted light scattered by one or more remote targets in a scene. A processor is coupled to the lidar system and to the dynamic vision sensor and receives the events, identifies a region of interest in the field of regard that corresponds to DVS pixels that generated the events, and adjusts a scan parameter of the lidar system in the region of interest.

Abstract: A lidar system can include a solid-state laser to emit pulses of light. The solid-state laser can include a Q-switched laser having a gain medium and a Q-switch. The lidar system can also include a scanner configured to scan the emitted pulses of light across a field of regard and a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the scanned pulses of light scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The lidar system can also include a processor configured to determine the distance from the lidar system to the target based at least in part on a round-trip time of flight for an emitted pulse of light to travel from the lidar system to the target and back to the lidar system.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit a ranging pulse of light that is directed into a field of regard of the lidar system. The lidar system also includes a fiber-optic splitter configured to split off a portion of the ranging pulse of light to produce a trigger pulse of light that is directed to a receiver of the lidar system. The receiver is configured to detect, at a first time, at least a portion of the trigger pulse of light; and detect, at a second time subsequent to the first time, a portion of the ranging pulse of light scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The lidar system further includes a processor configured to determine the distance from the lidar system to the target based at least in part on the first time and the second time.