Nvidia patents AI method for self-driving cars to test routes before driving
Nvidia describes a system where a neural network predicts what happens if a self-driving car takes a specific path. It scores the predicted outcome for safety and quality, only allowing the car to move if the result meets a set threshold.
In the filing’s own words
In various examples, a modular (e.g., control, drive, software, software/hardware) stack may evaluate candidate trajectory(ies) by predicting the subsequent scene or world state that would result from using the candidate trajectory(ies), and quantifying a measure of the quality, safety, and/or favorability of the predicted subsequent state. If the quality, safety, and/or favorability of the estimated subsequent state satisfies a designated threshold (e.g., the candidate trajectory is predicted to result in a favorable, safe, desirable, and/or beneficial future state), the candidate trajectory may be used to control navigation. If not, a determination may be made to disengage autonomous navigation, execute a safety procedure, and/or a parameterized optimization may be used to generate an optimized trajectory using an optimized planner to iteratively refine a trajectory predicted to lead to the most desirable state—or at least a state beyond a threshold desirability.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. One or more processors comprising processing circuitry to: generate a candidate trajectory associated with an ego-machine; compute, based at least on processing a representation of the candidate trajectory using one or more neural networks, an estimated favorability of a future world state corresponding to the candidate trajectory; and determine whether to use the candidate trajectory to control navigation of the ego-machine based at least on the estimated favorability of the future world state.
Facts
- Company
- Nvidia (NVIDIA CORPORATION)
- Official title
- ITERATIVE PROJECTION AND EVALUATION OF SCENE STATES USING END TO END NEURAL NETWORKS FOR AUTONOMOUS AND SEMI-AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS
- Publication number
- US20260307676A1
- Application number
- 19171149
- Filed
- Apr 4, 2025
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
B60W 60/0011 Operations & transportB60W 60/00186 Operations & transportG06V 10/82 Physics & computingMore from Nvidia in Cars & transport
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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.