Sensor integration for large autonomous vehicles

Abstract

The technology relates to autonomous vehicles for transporting cargo and/or people between locations. Distributed sensor arrangements may not be suitable for vehicles such as large trucks, busses or construction vehicles. Side view mirror assemblies are provided that include a sensor suite of different types of sensors, including LIDAR, radar, cameras, etc. Each side assembly is rigidly secured to the vehicle by a mounting element. The sensors within the assembly may be aligned or arranged relative to a common axis or physical point of the housing. This enables self-referenced calibration of all sensors in the housing. Vehicle-level calibration can also be performed between the sensors on the left and right sides of the vehicle. Each side view mirror assembly may include a conduit that provides one or more of power, data and cooling to the sensors in the housing.

1 . A side sensor assembly for use on a truck or bus capable of operating in an autonomous driving mode, the side sensor assembly comprising:
 a housing having one or more exterior surfaces and an interior receptacle, at least one of the one or more exterior surfaces including a side view mirror thereon;   a mounting element having a first end and a second end remote from the first end, the first end being coupled to the housing along one or more mounting points, the second end being configured to rigidly secure the housing to the truck or bus;   a plurality of sensors received within the interior receptacle of the housing, the plurality of sensors including a pair of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, a first one of the pair of LIDAR sensors being a long range LIDAR having a detection range of at least 50 meters and a second one of the pair of LIDAR sensors being a short range LIDAR having a detection range of no more than 50 meters; and   a conduit received within the mounting element, the conduit providing one or more of a power line, a data line and a cooling line to the plurality of sensors received within the housing and configured for connection to one or more operational systems of the truck or bus.   
     
     
         2 . The side sensor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the long range LIDAR is arranged along a first end of the interior receptacle and the short range LIDAR is arranged along a second end of the interior receptacle opposite the long range LIDAR; and   when the mounting element is affixed to the truck or bus, the long range LIDAR is positioned closer to a roof of the truck or bus than the short range LIDAR so that the long range LIDAR has a field of view that extends past a front hood of the truck or bus during operation.   
     
     
         3 . The side sensor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors further includes at least one of a radar sensor and a camera sensor disposed between the long range LIDAR and the short range LIDAR within the interior receptacle. 
     
     
         4 . The side sensor assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one radar sensor comprises a plurality of radar sensors arranged to provide overlapping fields of view along a side of the truck or bus during operation. 
     
     
         5 . The side sensor assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one camera sensor comprises a plurality of cameras arranged to provide overlapping fields of view along a side of the truck or bus during operation. 
     
     
         6 . The side sensor assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of sensors further includes at least one inertial sensor disposed between the long range LIDAR and the short range LIDAR within the interior receptacle. 
     
     
         7 . The side sensor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors received within the interior receptacle of the housing are affixed within the housing relative to a common axis or physical reference point of the housing. 
     
     
         8 . The side sensor assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of sensors is calibrated collectively relative to the common axis or physical reference point. 
     
     
         9 . The side sensor assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the side sensor assembly comprises a pair of side sensor assemblies, each one of the pair having a respective housing, mounting element, plurality of sensors and conduit, a first one of the pair being configured for affixation to a left side of the truck or bus and a second one of the pair being configured for affixation to a right side of the truck or bus. 
     
     
         10 . A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous driving mode, the vehicle comprising:
 a driving system configured to perform driving operations;   a perception system configured to detect objects in an environment surrounding the vehicle; and   a control system operatively coupled to the driving system and the perception system, the control system having one or more computer processors configured to receive data from the perception system and to direct the driving system when operating in the autonomous driving mode;   wherein the perception system includes a pair of side sensor assemblies attached to opposite sides of the vehicle, each side sensor assembly including:   a housing having one or more exterior surfaces and an interior receptacle, at least one of the one or more exterior surfaces including a side view mirror thereon;   a mounting element having a first end and a second end remote from the first end, the first end being coupled to the housing along one or more mounting points, the second end being configured to rigidly secure the housing to a corresponding side of the vehicle;   a plurality of sensors received within the interior receptacle of the housing, the plurality of sensors including a pair of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, a first one of the pair of LIDAR sensors being a long range LIDAR having a detection range of at least 50 meters and a second one of the pair of LIDAR sensors being a short range LIDAR having a detection range of no more than 50 meters; and   a conduit received within the mounting element, the conduit providing one or both of a power line and a data line to the plurality of sensors received within the housing and connecting to one or more operational systems of the vehicle.   
     
     
         11 . The vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the long range LIDAR is arranged along a first end of the interior receptacle and the short range LIDAR is arranged along a second end of the interior receptacle opposite the long range LIDAR; and   the long range LIDAR is positioned closer to a roof of the vehicle than the short range LIDAR so that the long range LIDAR has a field of view that extends past a front hood of the vehicle during operation.   
     
     
         12 . The vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly further includes at least one of a radar sensor and a camera sensor disposed between the long range LIDAR and the short range LIDAR within the interior receptacle. 
     
     
         13 . The vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly further includes at least one inertial sensor disposed between the long range LIDAR and the short range LIDAR within the interior receptacle. 
     
     
         14 . The vehicle of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one inertial sensor in each side sensor assembly provides redundancy to the at least one inertial sensor in the other side sensor assembly. 
     
     
         15 . The vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of sensors received within the interior receptacle of the housing are affixed within the housing relative to a common axis or physical reference point of the housing. 
     
     
         16 . The vehicle of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly is calibrated collectively relative to the common axis or physical reference point of that side sensor assembly. 
     
     
         17 . The vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of sensors in each side sensor assembly is calibrated relative to the other side sensor assembly. 
     
     
         18 . The vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein the vehicle is one of a truck, a bus, or a construction vehicle. 
     
     
         19 . The vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein the autonomous driving mode is a Level 4 or Level 5 autonomous mode of operation. 
     
     
         20 . The vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein the conduit further provides a cooling line to the plurality of sensors received within the housing.