Patents by Inventor Kai Ding

Kai Ding has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220137623
    Abstract: To operate an autonomous vehicle, a rail agent is detected in a vicinity of the autonomous vehicle using a detection system. One or more tracks are determined on which the detected rail agent is possibly traveling, and possible paths for the rail agent are predicted based on the determined one or more tracks. One or more motion paths are determined for one or more probable paths from the possible paths, and a likelihood for each of the one or more probable paths is determined based on each motion plan. A path for the autonomous vehicle is then determined based on a most probable path associated with a highest likelihood for the rail agent, and the autonomous vehicle is operated using the determined path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Vishu Goyal, Stéphane Ross, Kai Ding
  • Publication number: 20220135078
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for generating candidate future trajectories for agents. One of the methods includes obtaining scene data characterizing a scene in an environment at a current time point; for each of a plurality of lane segments, processing a model input comprising (i) features of the lane segment and (ii) features of the target agent using a machine learning model that is configured to process the model input to generate a respective score for the lane segment that represents a likelihood that the lane segment will be a first lane segment traversed by the target agent after the current time point; selecting, as a set of seed lane segments, a proper subset of the plurality of lane segments based on the respective scores; and generating a plurality of candidate future trajectories for the target agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Khaled Refaat, Kai Ding
  • Publication number: 20220081432
    Abstract: Compounds and compositions are provided that can inhibit microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1). The compounds and compositions can reduce inflammation in a subject, such as inflammation caused by an inflammation disorder or symptoms thereof. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compound are also provided. Furthermore, methods are provided for reducing inflammation and/or inhibiting mPGES-1. The methods can comprise administering an effective amount of the composition to a subject.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Chang-Guo Zhan, Fang Zheng, Kai Ding, Ziyuan Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220073085
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for performing knowledge distillation for autonomous vehicles. One of the methods includes obtaining sensor data characterizing an environment, wherein the sensor data has been captured by one or more sensors on-board a vehicle in the environment; processing, for each of one or more surrounding agents in the environment, a network input generated from the sensor data using a neural network to generate an agent discomfort prediction that characterizes a level of discomfort of the agent; combining the one or more agent discomfort predictions to generate an aggregated discomfort score; and providing the aggregated discomfort score to a path planning system of the vehicle in order to generate a future path of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventors: Minfa Wang, Kai Ding, Haoyu Chen, Wei Chai, Maher Mneimneh
  • Publication number: 20220043446
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying high-priority agents in the vicinity of a vehicle. The high-priority agents can be identified based on a set of mutual importance scores in which each mutual importance score indicates an estimated mutual relevance between the vehicle and a different agent from a set of agents on planning decisions of the other. The mutual importance scores can be calculated based on importance scores assessed from the perspectives of both the vehicle and the agents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Kai Ding, Minfa Wang, Haoyu Chen, Khaled Refaat, Stephane Ross, Wei Chai
  • Publication number: 20220036186
    Abstract: Methods, computer systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for training a mixture of a plurality of actor-critic policies that is used to control an agent interacting with an environment to perform a task. Each actor-critic policy includes an actor policy and a critic policy. The training includes, for each of one or more transitions, determining a target Q value for the transition from (i) the reward in the transition, and (ii) an imagined return estimate generated by performing one or more iterations of a prediction process to generate one or more predicted future transitions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Khaled Refaat, Kai Ding
  • Publication number: 20220027193
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining a task schedule for generating prediction data for different agents. In one aspect, a method comprises receiving data that characterizes an environment in a vicinity of a vehicle at a current time step, the environment comprising a plurality of agents; receiving data that identifies high-priority agents for which respective data characterizing the agents must be generated at the current time step; identifying available computing resources at the current time step; processing the data that characterizes the environment using a complexity scoring model to determine a respective complexity score for each of the high-priority agents; and determining a schedule for the current time step that allocates the generation of the data characterizing the high-priority agents across the available computing resources based on the complexity scores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Inventors: Tacettin Dogacan Guney, Kai Ding, Olivier Gravel Aubin
  • Patent number: 11220497
    Abstract: Compounds and compositions are provided that can inhibit microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1). The compounds and compositions can reduce inflammation in a subject, such as inflammation caused by an inflammation disorder or symptoms thereof. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compound are also provided. Furthermore, methods are provided for reducing inflammation and/or inhibiting mPGES-1. The methods can comprise administering an effective amount of the composition to a subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: University of Kentucky Research Foundation
    Inventors: Chang-Guo Zhan, Fang Zheng, Kai Ding, Ziyuan Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210382489
    Abstract: Jaywalking behaviors of vulnerable road users (VRUs) such as cyclists or pedestrians can be predicted. Location data is obtained that identifies a location of a VRU within a vicinity of a vehicle. Environmental data is obtained that describes an environment of the VRU, where the environmental data identifies a set of environmental features in the environment of the VRU. The system can determine a nominal heading of the VRU, and generate a set of predictive inputs that indicate, for each of at least a subset of the set of environmental features, a physical relationship between the VRU and the environmental feature. The physical relationship can be determined with respect to the nominal heading of the VRU and the location of the VRU. The set of predictive inputs can be processed with a heading estimation model to generate a predicted heading offset (e.g., a target heading offset) for the VRU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Vishu Goyal, Kai Ding
  • Publication number: 20210341927
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide for controlling a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode. For instance, sensor data for an object as well as a plurality of predicted trajectories may be received. Each predicted trajectory may represent a plurality of possible future locations for the object. A grid including a plurality of cells, each being associated with a geographic area, may be generated. Probabilities that the object will enter the geographic area associated with each of the plurality of cells over a period of time into the future may be determined based on the sensor data in order to generate a heat map. One or more of the plurality of predicted trajectories may be compared to the heat map. The vehicle may be controlled in the autonomous driving mode based on the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Khaled Refaat, Kai Ding
  • Publication number: 20210319287
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for determining occupancies of surrounding agents. One of the methods includes obtaining scene data characterizing an environment at a current time point; processing a first network input generated from the scene data using a first neural network to generate an intermediate output; obtaining an identification of a future time point that is after the current time point; and generating, from the intermediate output and the future time point, an occupancy output, wherein the occupancy output comprises respective occupancy probabilities for each of a plurality of locations in the environment, wherein the respective occupancy probability for each location characterizes a likelihood that one or more agents will occupy the location at the future time point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventors: Khaled Refaat, Kai Ding
  • Publication number: 20210286985
    Abstract: The technology relates to controlling a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode. For instance, sensor data identifying an object in an environment of the vehicle may be received. A grid including a plurality of cells may be projected around the object. For each given one of the plurality of cells, a likelihood that the object will enter the given one within a period of time into the future is predicted. A contour is generated based on the predicted likelihoods. The vehicle is then controlled in the autonomous driving mode in order to avoid an area within the contour.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Jared Stephen Russell, Kai Ding
  • Publication number: 20210286360
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying high-priority agents in the vicinity of a vehicle and, for only those agents which are high priority agents, generating data characterizing the agents using a first prediction model. In a first aspect, a system identifies multiple agents in an environment in a vicinity of a vehicle. The system generates a respective importance score for each of the agents by processing a feature representation of each agent using an importance scoring model. The importance score for an agent characterizes an estimated impact of the agent on planning decisions generated by a planning system of the vehicle which plans a future trajectory of the vehicle. The system identifies, as high-priority agents, a proper subset of the plurality of agents with the highest importance scores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Kai Ding, Khaled Refaat, Stephane Ross
  • Publication number: 20210269023
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying high-priority agents in the vicinity of a vehicle. In one aspect, a method comprises processing an input that characterizes a trajectory of the vehicle in an environment using an importance scoring model to generate an output that defines a respective importance score for each of a plurality of agents in the environment in the vicinity of the vehicle. The importance score for an agent characterizes an estimated impact of the agent on planning decisions generated by a planning system of the vehicle which plans a future trajectory of the vehicle. The high-priority agents are identified as a proper subset of the plurality of agents with the highest importance scores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Kai Ding, Khaled Refaat, Stephane Ross
  • Patent number: 11048253
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying high-priority agents in the vicinity of a vehicle and, for only those agents which are high priority agents, generating data characterizing the agents using a first prediction model. In a first aspect, a system identifies multiple agents in an environment in a vicinity of a vehicle. The system generates a respective importance score for each of the agents by processing a feature representation of each agent using an importance scoring model. The importance score for an agent characterizes an estimated impact of the agent on planning decisions generated by a planning system of the vehicle which plans a future trajectory of the vehicle. The system identifies, as high-priority agents, a proper subset of the plurality of agents with the highest importance scores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Kai Ding, Khaled Refaat, Stephane Ross
  • Patent number: 11048927
    Abstract: The technology relates to controlling a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode. For instance, sensor data identifying an object in an environment of the vehicle may be received. A grid including a plurality of cells may be projected around the object. For each given one of the plurality of cells, a likelihood that the object will enter the given one within a period of time into the future is predicted. A contour is generated based on the predicted likelihoods. The vehicle is then controlled in the autonomous driving mode in order to avoid an area within the contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Jared Stephen Russell, Kai Ding
  • Patent number: 11034348
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying high-priority agents in the vicinity of a vehicle. In one aspect, a method comprises processing an input that characterizes a trajectory of the vehicle in an environment using an importance scoring model to generate an output that defines a respective importance score for each of a plurality of agents in the environment in the vicinity of the vehicle. The importance score for an agent characterizes an estimated impact of the agent on planning decisions generated by a planning system of the vehicle which plans a future trajectory of the vehicle. The high-priority agents are identified as a proper subset of the plurality of agents with the highest importance scores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Kai Ding, Khaled Refaat, Stephane Ross
  • Publication number: 20210133582
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for training a neural network having a plurality of sub neural networks to assign respective confidence scores to one or more candidate future trajectories for an agent. Each confidence score indicates a predicted likelihood that the agent will move along the corresponding candidate future trajectory in the future. In one aspect, a method includes using the first sub neural network to generate a training intermediate representation; using the second sub neural network to generate respective training confidence scores; using a trajectory generation neural network to generate a training trajectory generation output; computing a first loss and a second loss; and determining an update to the current values of the parameters of the first and second sub neural networks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Khaled Refaat, Kai Ding, Stephane Ross
  • Patent number: 10969789
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide for controlling a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode. For instance, sensor data for an object as well as a plurality of predicted trajectories may be received. Each predicted trajectory may represent a plurality of possible future locations for the object. A grid including a plurality of cells, each being associated with a geographic area, may be generated. Probabilities that the object will enter the geographic area associated with each of the plurality of cells over a period of time into the future may be determined based on the sensor data in order to generate a heat map. One or more of the plurality of predicted trajectories may be compared to the heat map. The vehicle may be controlled in the autonomous driving mode based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Khaled Refaat, Kai Ding
  • Publication number: 20210064044
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining respective importance scores for a plurality of agents in a vicinity of an autonomous vehicle navigating through an environment. The respective importance scores characterize a relative impact of each agent on planned trajectories generated by a planning subsystem of the autonomous vehicle. In one aspect, a method comprises providing different states of an environment as input to the planning subsystem and obtaining as output from the planning subsystem corresponding planned trajectories. Importance scores for the one or more agents that are in one state but not in the other are determined based on a measure of difference between the planned trajectories.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventors: Khaled Refaat, Kai Ding, Stephane Ross