System and method for determining position and distance of objects using road fiducials

摘要

Aspects of the invention relate generally to autonomous vehicles. The features described improve the safety, use, driver experience, and performance of these vehicles by using ground markers to determine the position of the surrounding objects. In particular, the autonomous vehicle is capable of detecting nearby objects, such as vehicles and pedestrians, and is able to determine the position of these objects based on whether they have passed over ground markers.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
detecting an object traveling on a road in a vicinity of a vehicle; identifying, with at least one of a camera or a sensor, whether a ground marker on a surface of the road is visible; determining, by one or more processors, that the object has effected in the visibility of the ground marker; identifying, by the one or more processors, position data for the ground marker; and determining, with the one or more processors, at least one of a geographic position of the object or a relative position of the object to the vehicle based on the position data and the effect of the object on the visibility of the ground marker.