Inferring state of traffic signal and other aspects of a vehicle's environment based on surrogate data

摘要

A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous mode can obtain sensor data from one or more sensors observing one or more aspects of an environment of the vehicle. At least one aspect of the environment of the vehicle that is not observed by the one or more sensors could be inferred based on the sensor data. The vehicle could be controlled in the autonomous mode based on the at least one inferred aspect of the environment of the vehicle.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
obtaining sensor data from one or more sensors observing one or more aspects of an environment of a vehicle, wherein the one or more sensors are operationally associated with the vehicle, and wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous mode; using an inference system to infer, based on the sensor data, at least one aspect of the environment of the vehicle that is not observed by the one or more sensors; determining a confidence level based on the at least one inferred aspect of the environment of the vehicle, at least one previous inference, and at least one previous outcome; and controlling the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the at least one inferred aspect of the environment of the vehicle and the confidence level.