Vector data encoding of high definition map data for autonomous vehicles
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- generating a high definition map using data captured by sensors mounted on one or more autonomous vehicles;
for each of a plurality of geographical regions in the high definition map;
generating a reference centerline that defines an origin point within the geographical region;
for each of a plurality of entities in the geographical region;
determining coordinates of the entity in relation to the origin point of the reference centerline; and
encoding each of the determined coordinates of the entity as one or more bytes;
generating compressed codes for the geographical region, the compressed codes for the geographical region comprising, for each of the plurality of entities in the geographical region, the one or more bytes representing coordinates of the entity; and
storing the compressed codes for the geographical region;
receiving a request for a geographical region of the high definition map from a particular autonomous vehicle; and
responsive to receiving the request, transmitting the compressed codes for the requested geographical region of the high definition map to the particular autonomous vehicle, wherein the particular autonomous vehicle performs navigation using the compressed codes for the requested geographical region.
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Abstract
Embodiments relate to methods for efficiently encoding sensor data captured by an autonomous vehicle and building a high definition map using the encoded sensor data. The sensor data can be LiDAR data which is expressed as multiple image representations. Image representations that include important LiDAR data undergo a lossless compression while image representations that include LiDAR data that is more error-tolerant undergo a lossy compression. Therefore, the compressed sensor data can be transmitted to an online system for building a high definition map. When building a high definition map, entities, such as road signs and road lines, are constructed such that when encoded and compressed, the high definition map consumes less storage space. The positions of entities are expressed in relation to a reference centerline in the high definition map. Therefore, each position of an entity can be expressed in fewer numerical digits in comparison to conventional methods.
26 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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generating a high definition map using data captured by sensors mounted on one or more autonomous vehicles; for each of a plurality of geographical regions in the high definition map; generating a reference centerline that defines an origin point within the geographical region; for each of a plurality of entities in the geographical region; determining coordinates of the entity in relation to the origin point of the reference centerline; and encoding each of the determined coordinates of the entity as one or more bytes; generating compressed codes for the geographical region, the compressed codes for the geographical region comprising, for each of the plurality of entities in the geographical region, the one or more bytes representing coordinates of the entity; and storing the compressed codes for the geographical region; receiving a request for a geographical region of the high definition map from a particular autonomous vehicle; and responsive to receiving the request, transmitting the compressed codes for the requested geographical region of the high definition map to the particular autonomous vehicle, wherein the particular autonomous vehicle performs navigation using the compressed codes for the requested geographical region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
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generate a high definition map using data captured by sensors mounted on one or more autonomous vehicles; for each of a plurality of geographical regions in the high definition map; generate a reference centerline that defines an origin point within the geographical region; for each of a plurality of entities in the geographical region; determine coordinates of the entity in relation to the origin point of the reference centerline; and encode each of the determined coordinates of the entity as one or more bytes; generate compressed codes for the geographical region, the compressed codes for the geographical region comprising, for each of the plurality of entities in the geographical region, the one or more bytes representing coordinates of the entity; and store the compressed codes for the geographical region; and receive a request for a geographical region of the high definition map from a particular autonomous vehicle; and responsive to receiving the request, transmit the compressed codes for the requested geographical region of the high definition map to the particular autonomous vehicle, wherein the particular autonomous vehicle performs navigation using the compressed codes for the requested geographical region. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer system comprising:
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one or more computer processors; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to; generate a high definition map using data captured by sensors mounted on one or more autonomous vehicles; for each of a plurality of geographical regions in the high definition map; generate a reference centerline that defines an origin point within the geographical region; for each of a plurality of entities in the geographical region; determine coordinates of the entity in relation to the origin point of the reference centerline; and encode each of the determined coordinates of the entity as one or more bytes; generate compressed codes for the geographical region, the compressed codes for the geographical region comprising, for each of the plurality of entities in the geographical region, the one or more bytes representing coordinates of the entity; and store the compressed codes for the geographical region; and receive a request for a geographical region of the high definition map from a particular autonomous vehicle; and responsive to receiving the request, transmit the compressed codes for the requested geographical region of the high definition map to the particular autonomous vehicle, wherein the particular autonomous vehicle performs navigation using the compressed codes for the requested geographical region.
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Specification