Waymo patents method to detect other cars' turn signals using camera and motion data
This filing describes a system for autonomous vehicles that identifies when another car has its turn signal on by analyzing camera images. It looks for bright, blinking pixels in a specific area and combines this visual data with sensor information about the other car's movement to confirm the signal is active.
In the filing’s own words
An autonomous vehicle is configured to detect an active turn signal indicator on another vehicle. An image-capture device of the autonomous vehicle captures an image of a field of view of the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle captures the image with a short exposure to emphasize objects having brightness above a threshold. Additionally, a bounding area for a second vehicle located within the image is determined. The autonomous vehicle identifies a group of pixels within the bounding area based on a first color of the group of pixels. The autonomous vehicle also calculates an oscillation of an intensity of the group of pixels. Based on the oscillation of the intensity, the autonomous vehicle determines a likelihood that the second vehicle has a first active turn signal. Additionally, the autonomous vehicle is controlled based at least on the likelihood that the second vehicle has a first active turn signal.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a computing device and from a camera coupled to a first vehicle, image data representing an environment of the first vehicle; identifying, by the computing device and using the image data, at least one group of pixels representing a potential active indicator signal of a second vehicle; receiving, at the computing device, sensor data from at least one non-camera sensor coupled to the first vehicle, the sensor data representing movement of the second vehicle; determining a likelihood that the second vehicle has an active indicator signal based on the at least one group of pixels and the movement of the second vehicle; determining a control strategy for the first vehicle based on the likelihood; and causing, by the computing device, the first vehicle to navigate based on the control strategy.
Facts
- Company
- Google (Waymo LLC)
- Official title
- Vision-Based Indicator Signal Detection Using Spatiotemporal Filtering
- Publication number
- US20260311495A1
- Application number
- 19461206
- Filed
- Jan 27, 2026
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06V 20/584 Physics & computingB60W 60/001 Operations & transportG06V 20/56 Physics & computingH04N 23/73 Electricity & electronicsB60R 2300/80 Operations & transportMore from Google 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.