Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Google's US 9,014,905: Cyclist hand signal detection by an autonomous vehicle

The first claim of Google's issued patent titled - Cyclist hand signal detection by an autonomous vehicle - is

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1. A method, comprising: a computing device receiving a plurality of data points corresponding to an environment of an autonomous vehicle; the computing device determining one or more subsets of data points from the plurality of data points, wherein the one or more subsets of data points are indicative of at least a body region of a cyclist, wherein the body region of the cyclist comprises an upper-body region of the cyclist including at least one arm of the cyclist; based on an output of a comparison of the one or more subsets with one or more predetermined sets of cycling signals, the computing device determining an expected adjustment of one or more of a speed of the cyclist and a direction of movement of the cyclist; and based on the expected adjustment, the computing device providing instructions to adjust one or more of a speed of the autonomous vehicle and a direction of movement of the autonomous vehicle. 

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The law firm was  McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP .

From the specification:

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Autonomous vehicles use various computing systems to aid in transporting passengers from one location to another. Some autonomous vehicles may require some initial input or continuous input from an operator, such as a pilot, driver, or passenger. Other systems, for example autopilot systems, may be used only when the system has been engaged, which permits the operator to switch from a manual mode (where the operator exercises a high degree of control over the movement of the vehicle) to an autonomous mode (where the vehicle essentially drives itself) to modes that lie somewhere in between.

SUMMARY

The present application discloses embodiments that relate to an autonomous vehicle detecting cyclist hand signals. In one aspect, the present application describes a method. The method may involve a computing device receiving a plurality of data points corresponding to an environment of an autonomous vehicle. The method may also involve the computing device determining one or more subsets of data points from the plurality of data points, where the one or more subsets of data points are indicative of at least a body region of a cyclist. The method may further involve, based on an output of a comparison of the one or more subsets with one or more predetermined sets of cycling signals, the computing device determining an expected adjustment of one or more of a speed of the cyclist and a direction of movement of the cyclist. The method may still further involve, based on the expected adjustment, the computing device providing instructions to adjust one or more of a speed of the autonomous vehicle and a direction of movement of the autonomous vehicle. 


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