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NvidiaGranted patentCars & transportInterest 6/10

Nvidia patents self-driving tech that blends camera views with digital maps

Nvidia has patented a method for autonomous vehicles that combines live camera footage with standard digital navigation maps to better understand road layouts. The system uses a technique called cross-attention to merge visual data from cameras with map data, creating a more complete picture of the road ahead. This combined information helps the car detect lane structures and make driving decisions like merging or changing lanes.

Why it mattersThis approach aims to make self-driving cars more reliable by reducing their dependence on perfect camera conditions, potentially improving safety in complex traffic situations.

In the filing’s own words

In the context of autonomous driving, the recognition of lane topologies is required for the vehicle to make well-informed and prudent decisions such as lane changes, navigation through intricate intersections, and smooth merging. Current autonomous driving systems rely solely on sensor (e.g. camera) inputs to recognize lane topology. As a result, poor sensor data will have a direct negative impact on lane topology recognition. The present disclosure augments lane topology reasoning with a standard definition navigation map for use in autonomous driving applications.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method, comprising: at a device: encoding a representation of a map defining road geometry and road connectivity in a geographical region to form a first feature representation of the geographical region; generating a second feature representation of the geographical region from at least one image of the geographical region captured by at least one camera installed on an autonomous driving vehicle; applying cross-attention between the first feature representation and the second feature representation to construct a combined feature representation for the geographical region that includes information derived from the at least one image of the geographical region and information from the map; performing lane-topology reasoning by a lane-topology model, using the combined feature representation, to detect one or more road-level features within the geographical region; using the one or more road-level features to make one or more autonomous driving decisions for the autonomous driving vehicle; and controlling operation of the autonomous driving vehicle based on the one or more autonomous driving decisions.

Facts

Company
Nvidia (NVIDIA Corporation)
Official title
Augmenting lane-topology reasoning with a standard definition navigation map
Patent number
US12741669B2
Application number
18747265
Filed
Jun 18, 2024
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
27

Classified under

B60W 60/001 Operations & transportG01C 21/30 Physics & computingB60W 2420/403 Operations & transportB60W 2552/00 Operations & transportB60W 2552/53 Operations & transport
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.