Abstract: This technology relates to selectively providing details of surrounding roads to passengers of a vehicle. One or more computing devices may calculate a plane relative to an orientation of the vehicle based upon at least one of the vehicle's location, pitch, and yaw. For each surrounding road a distance between the surrounding road and the plane may be determined by the one or more computing devices. The one or more computing devices may generate and display a video indicating a projected trajectory of the vehicle and objects detected by sensors on the vehicle, on a map corresponding to a route the vehicle is currently following and virtual representations of surrounding roads which are within a predefined distance of the location of the vehicle based on the determined distance for each of the surrounding roads.

Abstract: This technology relates to a condensation reduction system for a sensor. The system may comprise a sensor cover, wherein the sensor cover is configured to house one or more sensor components, a flexible, external chamber, and a conduit. The external chamber may be communicably coupled to an interior of the sensor cover via the conduit configured such that during an increase of pressure of gas within the sensor cover the gas flows to the external chamber via the conduit and during a decrease in the pressure of gas within the sensor cover the gas flows from the external chamber to the sensor cover via the conduit.

Abstract: Methods and systems for use of a reference image to detect a road obstacle are described. A computing device configured to control a vehicle, may be configured to receive, from an image-capture device, an image of a road on which the vehicle is travelling. The computing device may be configured to compare the image to a reference image; and identify a difference between the image and the reference image. Further, the computing device may be configured to determine a level of confidence for identification of the difference. Based on the difference and the level of confidence, the computing device may be configured to modify a control strategy associated with a driving behavior of the vehicle; and control the vehicle based on the modified control strategy.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods that include a monolithic, single-chip receiver. An example system includes a plurality of macropixels, each made up of an array of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). The system also includes a plurality of pipelined adders communicatively coupled to a respective portion of the plurality of macropixels. The system additionally includes a controller configured to carry out operations. The operations include during a listening period, receiving, at each pipelined adder of the plurality of pipelined adders, respective photosignals from the respective portion of the plurality of macropixels. The operations also include causing each pipelined adder of the plurality of pipelined adders to provide an output that includes a series of frames that provide an average number of SPADs of the respective portion of the plurality of macropixels that were triggered during a given listening period.

Abstract: A computing device of a first vehicle may receive a first image and a second image of a second vehicle having flashing light signals. The computing device may determine, in the first image and the second image, an image region that bounds the second vehicle such that the image region substantially encompasses the second vehicle. The computing device may determine a polar grid that partitions the image region in the first image and the second image into polar bins, and identify portions of image data exhibiting a change in color and a change in brightness between the first image and the second image. The computing device may determine a type of the flashing light signals and a type of the second vehicle; and accordingly provide instructions to control the first vehicle.

Abstract: The technology relates to controlling a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode. In one instance, sensor data identifying an object in an environment of the vehicle may be received. A first path of a first trajectory where the vehicle will pass the object may be determined. A function is used to determining a first maximum speed of the vehicle based on a predetermined minimum lateral clearance between the object and the vehicle. The first maximum speed may be used to determine whether an actual lateral clearance between the object and the vehicle will meet the predetermined minimum lateral clearance. The determination of whether the actual lateral clearance will meet the predetermined minimum lateral clearance may be used to generate a first speed plan for the first trajectory. The vehicle may be controlled in the autonomous driving mode according to the first trajectory including the first speed plan and the first path.

Abstract: An optical system and method may relate to capturing extended dynamic range images. In an example embodiment, the optical system may include a lens element configured to receive incident light and a beam splitter optically coupled to the lens element. The beam splitter is configured to separate the incident light into at least a first portion having a first photon flux and a second portion having a second photon flux. The first photon flux is at least an order of magnitude greater than the second photon flux. A controller may be configured to cause a first image sensor to capture a first image of the first portion of the incident light according to first exposure parameters and cause a second image sensor to capture a second image of the second portion of the incident light according to second exposure parameters.

Abstract: A cooling device includes a duct, a passageway, and a plurality of nozzles spaced around the duct. The duct is sized to extend around at least a portion of the dome. The passageway may extend through the duct. The plurality of nozzles may be spaced around the duct and have first openings oriented toward the passageway and second openings oriented toward the surface.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for identifying an object along a road, where the object may be represented by a bounding box, and projecting a set of obstacle points within the bounding box corresponding to the identified object. In one aspect, a two-dimensional plane oriented perpendicular to a direction of the movement of the vehicle may be identified. In another aspect, the areas of the plane that may be occupied based on the set of obstacle points may be determined to generate a contour of the identified object. Thereafter, the height profiles of the identified object and the vehicle may be determined and identified, respectively. Based on the height profiles, a minimum clearance may be determined.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and systems that facilitate determination of a pose of a vehicle based on various combinations of map data and sensor data received from light detection and ranging (LIDAR) devices and/or camera devices. An example method includes receiving point cloud data from a (LIDAR) device and transforming the point cloud data to provide a top-down image. The method also includes comparing the top-down image to a reference image and determining, based on the comparison, a yaw error. An alternative method includes receiving camera image data from a camera and transforming the camera image data to provide a top-down image. The method also includes comparing the top-down image to a reference image and determining, based on the comparison, a yaw error.

Abstract: Models can be generated of a vehicle's view of its environment and used to maneuver the vehicle. This view need not include what objects or features the vehicle is actually seeing, but rather those areas that the vehicle is able to observe using its sensors if the sensors were completely un-occluded. For example, for each of a plurality of sensors of the object detection component, a computer may generate an individual 3D model of that sensor's field of view. Weather information is received and used to adjust one or more of the models. After this adjusting, the models may be aggregated into a comprehensive 3D model. The comprehensive model may be combined with detailed map information indicating the probability of detecting objects at different locations. The model of the vehicle's environment may be computed based on the combined comprehensive 3D model and detailed map information.

Abstract: Because of the nature of autonomous vehicles, and in particular that they do not require manual inputs from a driver or passenger to control braking and steering, autonomous vehicle can include features that may not necessarily be useful or practical in a typical non-autonomous (or semi-autonomous vehicle) that would require such manual input.

Abstract: Example systems and methods are disclosed for determining vehicle pose data for an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle computer system may receive pose data from multiple pose measurement systems of the autonomous vehicle. Each pose measurement system may include one or more corresponding sensors of the autonomous vehicle. The vehicle computer system may determine a pose data quality for the received pose data for each pose measurement system. The vehicle computer system may set the vehicle pose data to the pose data of the pose measurement system with the highest pose data quality. The vehicle computer system may control the autonomous vehicle based on the vehicle pose data.

Abstract: Models can be generated of a vehicle's view of its environment and used to maneuver the vehicle. This view need not include what objects or features the vehicle is actually seeing, but rather those areas that the vehicle is able to observe using its sensors if the sensors were completely un-occluded. For example, for each of a plurality of sensors of the object detection component, a computer may generate an individual 3D model of that sensor's field of view. Weather information is received and used to adjust one or more of the models. After this adjusting, the models may be aggregated into a comprehensive 3D model. The comprehensive model may be combined with detailed map information indicating the probability of detecting objects at different locations. The model of the vehicle's environment may be computed based on the combined comprehensive 3D model and detailed map information.

Abstract: The technology relates to detecting and responding to emergency vehicles. This may include using a plurality of microphones to detect a siren noise corresponding to an emergency vehicle and to estimate a bearing of the emergency vehicle. This estimated bearing is compared to map information to identify a portion of roadway on which the emergency vehicle is traveling. In addition, information identifying a set of objects in the vehicle's environment as well as characteristics of those objects is received from a perception system is used to determine whether one of the set of objects corresponds to the emergency vehicle. How to respond to the emergency vehicle is determined based on the estimated bearing and identified road segments and the determination of whether one of the set of objects corresponds to the emergency vehicle. This determined response is then used to control the vehicle in an autonomous driving mode.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical systems and methods for their manufacture. An example system includes a first substrate that has at least one bridge structure. The bridge structure has a first surface with one or more light-emitter devices disposed on it. The system also includes a second substrate that has a mounting surface that defines a reference plane. The second substrate includes a structure and an optical spacer on the mounting surface. The first and second substrates are coupled together such that the first surface of the first substrate faces the second substrate at an angle with respect to the reference plane. The system also includes at least one spacer coupled to the mounting surface. The at least one spacer is in physical contact with the one or more light-emitter devices.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatuses for processing analog signals with a wide dynamic range. In some implementations, the analog signal may be a current signal that is logarithmically scaled to decrease its dynamic range and converted to an output voltage using two or more diodes. A first diode may be used to scale a first range of the current signal and a second diode may be used to scale a second range of the current signal.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to determining whether an optical interferent is located on a sensor window and providing a way to identify and discard erroneous sensor data. An example system includes a housing, having a first sensor window and a second sensor window, a laser light source, and an optical sensor. The first window has a first property for deflecting water, and the second window has a second property for deflecting water different from the first property. The source is configured to generate a beam of light through the first window. One or more processors are configured to receive sensor data from the optical sensor and determine that an optical interferent is located on a surface of at least one of the first window and the sensor window based on a comparison between sensor data corresponding to the first window and sensor data corresponding to the second window.

Abstract: A LIDAR device may transmit light pulses originating from one or more light sources and may receive reflected light pulses that are then detected by one or more detectors. The LIDAR device may include a lens that both (i) collimates the light from the one or more light sources to provide collimated light for transmission into an environment of the LIDAR device and (ii) focuses the reflected light onto the one or more detectors. The lens may define a curved focal surface in a transmit path of the light from the one or more light sources and a curved focal surface in a receive path of the one or more detectors. The one or more light sources may be arranged along the curved focal surface in the transmit path. The one or more detectors may be arranged along the curved focal surface in the receive path.