Multibounce target mitigation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11435439-B2
Application number	US-201916544836-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2019
Priority date	Aug 19, 2019
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A method is provided that includes a method is provided that includes transmitting a radar signal by a radar system. The method also includes receiving reflections of the radar signal from an environment by the radar system. Additionally, the method includes receiving a location of a plurality of objects in the environment by a radar processing system. The method further includes tracking a plurality of reflecting objects in the environment based on the received reflections by the radar processing system. Yet further, the method includes determining, by the radar processing system, that a received radar reflection corresponds to one of the plurality objects in the environment having an incorrect location. Moreover, the method includes revising a tracking for the one of the plurality objects in the environment having an incorrect location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
transmitting a radar signal by a radar system coupled to a vehicle, wherein the radar system includes a radar processing system and one or more radar units;
receiving reflections of the radar signal from an environment by the radar system;
receiving, from two or more sources, respective locations for a plurality of objects located in the environment by the radar processing system, wherein the two or more sources includes a map of the environment and a sensor communicatively coupled to the radar processing system, and wherein the sensor is coupled to the vehicle and differs from the one or more radar units;
tracking a plurality of reflecting objects in the environment based on the received reflections by the radar processing system;
determining, by the radar processing system, that a received radar reflection indicates that a given object of the plurality of objects is positioned at a location that differs from the respective location of the given object as conveyed by at least one source of the two or more sources; and
revising a tracking for the given object based on the respective location of the given object as conveyed by the at least one source of the two or more sources.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein revising the tracking comprises stopping tracking.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein revising the tracking comprises revising a location of the given object based on the respective location of the given object as conveyed by the at least one source of the two or more sources.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein revising the tracking comprises revising a movement direction of the given object.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving respective locations for the plurality of objects located in the environment comprises receiving object data from the sensor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving respective locations for the plurality of objects in the environment comprises receiving object data from map data stored in a memory located on the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a secondary reflecting object that caused the given object to appear at an incorrect location relative to the respective location of the given object as conveyed by at least one source of the two or more sources.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating the secondary reflecting object to a remote computing system.

9. A radar system comprising:
a radar unit coupled to a vehicle and configured to:
transmit a radar signal, and
receive radar reflections,

a memory configured to store data related to an environment; and
a radar processing system configured to:
receive, from two or more sources, respective locations for a plurality of objects located in the environment, wherein the two or more sources includes a map of the environment and a sensor communicatively coupled to the radar processing system, and wherein the sensor is coupled to the vehicle and differs from the radar unit;
track a plurality of reflecting objects in the environment based on the received radar reflections,
determine that a received radar reflection indicates that a given object of the plurality of objects is positioned at a location that differs from the respective location of the given object as conveyed by at least one source of the two or more sources, and
revise a tracking for the given object based on the respective location of the given object as conveyed by the at least one source of the two or more sources.

10. The radar system of claim 9 , further comprising a communication system configured to receive object data from map data stored in a memory.

11. The radar system of claim 9 , further comprising a communication system configured to receive object data from the sensor.

12. The radar system of claim 9 , wherein the radar processing system is further configured to revise the tracking by revising a location of the given object based on the respective location of the given object as conveyed by the at least one source of the two or more sources.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:
transmitting a radar signal by a radar system coupled to a vehicle, wherein the radar system includes a radar processing system and one or more radar units;
receiving reflections of the radar signal from an environment by the radar system;
receiving, from two or more sources, respective locations for a plurality of objects located in the environment, wherein the two or more sources includes a map of the environment and a sensor communicatively coupled to the radar processing system, and wherein the sensor is coupled to the vehicle and differs from the one or more radar units;
tracking a plurality of reflecting objects in the environment based on the received reflections by the radar processing system;
determining that a received radar reflection indicates that a given object of the plurality of objects is positioned at a location that differs from the respective location of the given object as conveyed by at least one source of the two or more sources; and
revising a tracking for the given object based on the respective location of the given object as conveyed by the at least one source of the two or more sources.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein revising the tracking further comprises instructions for stopping tracking.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein revising the tracking further comprises instructions for revising a location of the given object as conveyed by the at least one source of the two or more sources.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein revising the tracking further comprises instructions for revising a movement direction of the given object.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein receiving respective locations for the plurality of objects located in the environment further comprises instructions for receiving object data from the sensor.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein receiving respective locations for the plurality of objects located in the environment further comprises instructions for receiving object data from map data stored in a memory.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions for determining a secondary reflecting object that caused the given object to appear at an incorrect location relative to the respective location of the given object as conveyed by at least one source of the two or more sources.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions for communicating the secondary reflecting object to a remote computing system.

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Smith Larry

Classifications

• G01S13/726 Primary

  Multiple target tracking · CPC title

• G01C21/3415 Primary

  Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents · CPC title

• G01S13/86

  Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder · CPC title

• G01S13/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S2013/93274

  on the side of the vehicles · CPC title