18060376. SENSOR FUSION USING ULTRASONIC SENSORS FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS simplified abstract (NVIDIA Corporation)

SENSOR FUSION USING ULTRASONIC SENSORS FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS

Organization Name

NVIDIA Corporation

Inventor(s)

David Weikersdorfer of Moutain View CA (US)

Qian Lin of Berkeley CA (US)

Aman Jhunjhunwala of Toronto (CA)

Emilie Lucie Eloïse Wirbel of Nogent-sur-Marne (FR)

Sangmin Oh of San Jose CA (US)

Minwoo Park of Saratoga CA (US)

Gyeong Woo Cheon of San Jose CA (US)

Arthur Henry Rajala of Greenville OH (US)

Bor-Jeng Chen of San Jose CA (US)

SENSOR FUSION USING ULTRASONIC SENSORS FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18060376 titled 'SENSOR FUSION USING ULTRASONIC SENSORS FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes techniques for sensor-fusion based object detection and free-space detection using ultrasonic sensors. Systems process sensor data to generate input data representing object locations, inputting data into neural networks to output maps of the environment.

• Ultrasonic sensors are used for object detection and free-space detection.
• Sensor data is processed to generate input data representing object locations.
• Neural networks are trained to output maps of the environment, including height and occupancy information.

Potential Applications

This technology can be applied in autonomous vehicles, robotics, and industrial automation for accurate object detection and navigation in various environments.

Problems Solved

This technology solves the problem of accurately detecting objects and determining free space in complex environments using sensor fusion techniques.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include improved safety, efficiency, and accuracy in object detection and navigation tasks in various applications.

Potential Commercial Applications

Potential commercial applications of this technology include autonomous vehicles, warehouse automation, and security systems for enhanced object detection and navigation capabilities.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of LiDAR sensors for object detection and mapping in autonomous vehicles and robotics applications.

How does this technology compare to LiDAR-based object detection systems in terms of accuracy and cost-effectiveness?

This article does not provide a direct comparison between ultrasonic sensor-based systems and LiDAR-based systems in terms of accuracy and cost-effectiveness.

What are the limitations of using ultrasonic sensors for object detection in different environmental conditions?

The article does not address the limitations of using ultrasonic sensors for object detection in various environmental conditions, such as noise interference or varying surface materials.

Original Abstract Submitted

In various examples, techniques for sensor-fusion based object detection and/or free-space detection using ultrasonic sensors are described. Systems may receive sensor data generated using one or more types of sensors of a machine. In some examples, the systems may then process at least a portion of the sensor data to generate input data, where the input data represents one or more locations of one or more objects within an environment. The systems may then input at least a portion of the sensor data and/or at least a portion of the input data into one or more neural networks that are trained to output one or more maps or other output representations associated with the environment. In some examples, the map(s) may include a height, an occupancy, and/or height/occupancy map generated, e.g., from a birds-eye-view perspective. The machine may use these outputs to perform one or more operations.