Construction zone object detection using light detection and ranging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9199641-B2
Application number	US-201514629344-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 5, 2012
Publication date	Dec 1, 2015
Grant date	Dec 1, 2015

Abstract

Methods and systems for construction zone object detection are described. A computing device may be configured to receive, from a LIDAR, a 3D point cloud of a road on which a vehicle is travelling. The 3D point cloud may comprise points corresponding to light reflected from objects on the road. Also, the computing device may be configured to determine sets of points in the 3D point cloud representing an area within a threshold distance from a surface of the road. Further, the computing device may be configured to identify construction zone objects in the sets of points. Further, the computing device may be configured to determine a likelihood of existence of a construction zone, based on the identification. Based on the likelihood, the computing device may be configured to modify a control strategy of the vehicle; and control the vehicle based on the modified control strategy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
selecting, by a computing device of a vehicle, a portion of a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud representing an area within a predetermined threshold distance from a surface of a road of travel of the vehicle;
identifying one or more construction zone objects in the selected portion;
determining, using the computing device, a likelihood of existence of a construction zone based on the identified one or more construction zone object…

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Ferguson David Ian
• Haehnel Dirk
• Mahon Ian

Classifications

• B60W30/0956

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G08G1/166

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01S2013/9327

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01S17/931

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01S17/86

  Physics · mapped topic