OBJECT SEGMENTATION USING MACHINE LEARNING FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS

BACKGROUND

Machine learning models, such as neural networks, can be used to perform various image processing tasks, such as segmenting portions of images. For example, neural networks can be used to determine masks around objects or other structures in images. However, various image processing pipelines for determining masks can be computationally intensive, such as to require significant processor and/or memory resources to perform the segmentation. In addition, these image processing pipelines may lack precision and/or recall, such as by assigning masks to portions of images that do not represent objects for which masks are intended to be generated.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to automatic segmentation for object masking, including but not limited to automatic segmentation for determining masks for vehicles, machines, and/or other objects in machine-related sensor data-such as, without limitation, image, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), radio detection and ranging (RADAR), and/or ultrasound sensor data. In contrast to conventional systems, such as those described above, systems and methods in accordance with the present disclosure can have greater precision and/or recall with respect to determined masks. For example, bounding shape information, such as bounding shapes (e.g., boxes, polygons, rectangles, cuboids, etc.) that are automatically or manually assigned to selected objects in images or other sensor data representations (e.g., projection images, top-down or bird's eye view (BEV) images, point clouds, range images, etc.), can be used to guide, condition, and/or otherwise modify the mask determination, which can allow for improved precision and/or recall (e.g., without having to train machine learning models using examples of segmentation masks).

At least one aspect relates to a processor(s). The processor(s) can include one or more circuits to receive an image or other sensor data representation (or data corresponding thereto). The one or more circuits can receive and/or determine a bounding shape corresponding to an object represented by or depicted in the image. The one or more circuits can determine a segmentation mask corresponding to the object depicted in the image based at least on one or more neural networks processing the image and bounding shape information corresponding to the bounding shape. In some implementations, the one or more circuits can apply, as input to the one or more neural networks, the image and the bounding shape, to cause the neural network to determine the segmentation mask for the image, the segmentation mask corresponding to the object. The one or more circuits can cause performance of one or more operations based at least on the segmentation mask. For example, the one or more circuits can cause performance of operation(s) including at least one of presenting the image and the segmentation mask using a display device, operating a simulation using the segmentation mask, operating a vehicle or machine perception system using the segmentation mask, or assigning the segmentation mask to an image data structure (or more generally, a sensor data structure) comprising the image.

In some implementations, the bounding shape includes at least one of a two-dimensional box or a three-dimensional shape. In some implementations, the one or more circuits can receive the bounding shape as a three-dimensional shape, and convert the bounding shape to a two-dimensional shape corresponding to a frame of reference of the image. The bounding shape can include (i) a data structure indicating a position of at least one of a corner or an edge of the bounding shape and (ii) an identifier of the object.

In some implementations, the neural network is configured using training data that includes a plurality of training instances, such as training images. At least one individual training instance of the plurality of training instances can have a corresponding bounding shape and class indication. In some implementations, the one or more circuits are to update the one or more neural networks (e.g., update one or more parameters of the one or more neural networks) using the bounding shape and the segmentation mask.

In some implementations, the bounding shape can be at least partially spaced from the object. The segmentation mask can form an outline of the object closer to the object than the bounding shape. The bounding shape can surround the object in the image and a first additional portion of the image, and the segmentation mask can form the outline of the object and a second additional portion of the image, where the second additional portion includes fewer pixels than the first additional portion.

At least one aspect relates to a system. The system can include one or more processing units to execute operations including receiving an image or other sensor data representation (or data corresponding thereto). The one or more processing units can receive and/or determine a bounding shape corresponding to an object depicted in the image. The one or more processing units can determine a segmentation mask corresponding to the object depicted in the image based at least on one or more neural networks processing the image and bounding shape information corresponding to the bounding shape. In some implementations, the one or more processing units can apply, as input to a neural network, the image and the bounding shape, to cause the neural network to determine the segmentation mask for the image, the segmentation mask corresponding to the object. The one or more processing units can cause performance of one or more operations based at least on the segmentation mask. For example, the one or more processing units can cause operations including at least one of presenting the image and the segmentation mask using a display device, operating a simulation using the segmentation mask, operating a vehicle or machine perception system using the segmentation mask, or assigning the segmentation mask to a sensor data structure, such as an image data structure, comprising the image.

In some implementations, the bounding shape includes at least one of a two-dimensional box or a three-dimensional box. In some implementations, the one or more processing units can receive the bounding shape as a three-dimensional box, and convert the bounding shape to a two-dimensional box corresponding to a frame of reference of the image. The bounding shape can include (i) a data structure indicating a position of at least one of a corner or an edge of the bounding shape and (ii) an identifier of the object.

In some implementations, the neural network is configured using training data that includes a plurality of training instances, such as training images. At least one individual training instance of the plurality of training instances can have a corresponding bounding shape and class indication. In some implementations, the one or more processing units are to update the one or more neural networks (e.g., update one or more parameters of the one or more neural networks) using the bounding shape and the segmentation mask.

At least one aspect relates to a method. The method can include receiving an image or other sensor data representation (or data corresponding thereto). The method can include receiving and/or determining a bounding shape corresponding to an object depicted in the image. The method can include determining a segmentation mask corresponding to the object depicted in the image based at least on one or more neural networks processing the image and bounding shape information corresponding to the bounding shape. In some implementations, the method can include applying, as input to the one or more neural networks, the image and the bounding shape, to cause the neural network to determine the segmentation mask for the image, the segmentation mask corresponding to the object. The method can include causing one or more operations based at least on the segmentation mask. For example, the method can include causing at least one of presenting the image and the segmentation mask using a display device, operating a simulation using the segmentation mask, operating a vehicle perception system using the segmentation mask, or assigning the segmentation mask to an image data structure (or other sensor data structure) comprising the image.

In some implementations, the bounding shape includes at least one of a two-dimensional box or a three-dimensional box. In some implementations, the method can include receiving the bounding shape as a three-dimensional box, and converting the bounding shape to a two-dimensional box corresponding to a frame of reference of the image. The bounding shape can include (i) a data structure indicating a position of at least one of a corner or an edge of the bounding shape and (ii) an identifier of the object.

In some implementations, the neural network is configured using training data that includes a plurality of training instances, such as training images. At least one individual instance of the plurality of training instances can have a corresponding bounding shape and class indication. In some implementations, the method can include updating the one or more neural networks (e.g., updating one or more parameters of the one or more neural networks) using the bounding shape and the segmentation mask.

At least one aspect relates to a method. The method can include performing one or more operations by a machine based at least on a segmentation mask corresponding to an object, the segmentation mask generated using a neural network that was trained using ground truth data generated using bounding shape labels. The ground truth data can include one or more segmentation masks that are automatically generated from the bounding shape labels. The one or more operations can include at least one of a planning operation, a control operation, a navigation operation, or an actuation operation.

The processors, systems, and/or methods described herein can be implemented by or included in at least one of a system associated with an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine (e.g., an in-vehicle infotainment system); a system for performing simulation operations; a system for performing digital twin operations; a system for performing light transport simulation; a system for performing collaborative content creation for 3D assets; a system for performing deep learning operations; a system implemented using an edge device; a system implemented using a robot; a system for generating or presenting virtual reality (VR) content, augmented reality (AR) content, and/or mixed reality (MR) content; a system for performing conversational AI operations; a system for generating synthetic data; a system incorporating one or more virtual machines (VMs); a system implemented at least partially in a data center; or a system implemented at least partially using cloud computing resources.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present systems and methods for machine learning models for automatic segmentation for object masking and related applications are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system for automatic segmentation for object masking, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts example visualizations of results of segmentation for object masking, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example of a method for automatic segmentation for object masking, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example content streaming system suitable for use in implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example computing device suitable for use in implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example data center suitable for use in implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7A is an illustration of an example autonomous vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7B is an example of camera locations and fields of view for the example autonomous vehicle of FIG. 7A, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7C is a block diagram of an example system architecture for the example autonomous vehicle of FIG. 7A, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7D is a system diagram for communication between cloud-based server(s) and the example autonomous vehicle of FIG. 7A, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods are disclosed related to automatically performing detection using segmentation, such as to determine segmentation masks for objects and instances in images (or other sensor data representations), using machine learning models (e.g., neural networks). Some neural networks can be trained or otherwise configured to generate masks as well as bounding shapes and semantic information, such as semantic types (e.g., categories or classes of objects). For example, the neural networks can be trained to perform instance and/or semantic segmentation of images, video data, or other sensor data types, including but not limited to images of physical environments detected or obtained using cameras. The image segmentation can include identifying portions of images that represent objects and indicating semantic information regarding the objects (or performing the identification according to semantic information), such to demarcate portions of images that represent objects of various classes or categories. The image segmentation can be performed to mask the portions of the images that represent the identified instances or semantic classes.

It can be difficult to accurately perform segmentation. For example, some models can receive instructions to perform segmentation to identify and/or mask portions of images associated with a first class (e.g., mask out vehicles), yet may also identify portions of the images associated with a second class (e.g., parking structures rather than vehicles). In addition, the cost of labeling segmentation masks (including but not limited to human/manual labeling) can be significantly greater than labeling bounding shapes.

Systems and methods in accordance with the present disclosure can perform segmentation with greater precision and recall by including, as input to the machine learning models (e.g., neural networks, etc.) at runtime/inference time, a bounding shape for an instance to be segmented. The precision can represent correctly segmenting instances that are of a target semantic type for the instances relative to instances that are not of the semantic type, such as correctly segmenting vehicles relative to segmenting non-vehicles. The recall can represent correctly identifying each possible instance of the target semantic type, such as the number of segmented vehicles relative to a total number of vehicles actually depicted in the images. In some implementations, the machine learning models can be configured, trained, and/or updated using ground truth data that includes bounding shapes but does not require examples of masks, such as by using a teacher model (e.g., a structure energy model) to guide configuration according to correspondences between intra-class objects. For example, the machine learning models can be trained using bounding shapes, rather than requiring more resource intensive and/or expensive segmentation masks as examples for training data.

The bounding shape can be represented by a data structure including one or more points of the bounding shape, such as a plurality of corners (e.g., upper left and lower right corner). The bounding shape can be positioned relative to an instance. The bounding shapes can be determined in various manners, including but not limited to using object detector models or algorithms, manually labeled images, or projections of labeled 3D cuboids to 2D space or camera space. In some implementations, bounding shapes can be determined (e.g., labeled, including but not limited to by being annotated by a user) more quickly than instance segmentation masks.

One or more images and one or more bounding shapes for the images can be provided as input to the model, which can output one or more masks (e.g., segmentation masks) representing the instances. This can allow the system to perform conditional inferencing by conditioning the mask generation on the bounding shapes, and can reduce post-processing requirements by reducing or preventing the need for (1) false positive filtering and/or (2) code that associates instance masks with ground truth 3D mask data. For example, using the bounding shapes at inference time can reduce the number of falsely identified masks from the image data, including but not limited to by excluding candidate shapes and/or masks, or portions thereof, that are determined in the model's processing pipeline, where such candidate shapes/masks/portions are outside of a region identified by the bounding shapes provided as input to the model. The outputted masks can be formed to be tightly positioned around the instances (e.g., as compared with rectangular bounding shapes) to effectively segment the instances from other portions of the images. The masking process (e.g., using the bounding shapes) can be performed on test data, and can be used for fine-tuning the models using the test data.

The masks generated by the models can be used for various image processing applications, and can be integrated into various image processing pipelines. For example, the models can be used for segmentation for autonomous machine image processing (e.g., camera, LiDAR, and/or radar data), such as for autonomous machine perception tasks. The segmentation can be applied in various frames of reference, such as perspective view range scans (e.g., range images) as well as orthogonal view or top-down/BEV views.

The systems and methods described herein may be used for a variety of purposes, by way of example and without limitation, for synthetic data generation, machine control, machine locomotion, machine driving, model training, perception, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, robotics, security and surveillance, simulation and digital twinning, autonomous or semi-autonomous machine applications, deep learning, environment simulation, object or actor simulation and/or digital twinning, data center processing, conversational AI, light transport simulation (e.g., ray-tracing, path tracing, etc.), collaborative content creation for 3D assets, cloud computing and/or any other suitable applications.

Disclosed embodiments may be comprised in a variety of different systems such as systems for performing synthetic data generation operations, automotive systems (e.g., a control system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine, a perception system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine), systems implemented using a robot, aerial systems, medical systems, boating systems, smart area monitoring systems, systems for performing deep learning operations, systems for performing simulation operations, systems for performing digital twin operations, systems implemented using an edge device, systems incorporating one or more virtual machines (VMs), systems implemented at least partially in a data center, systems for performing conversational AI operations, systems implementing one or more language models-such as large language models (LLMs) that process textual, image, sensor, audio, and/or other data types, systems for performing light transport simulation, systems for performing collaborative content creation for 3D assets, systems implemented at least partially using cloud computing resources, and/or other types of systems.

FIG. 1 is an example computing environment including a system 100, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that this and other arrangements described herein are set forth only as examples. Other arrangements and elements (e.g., machines, interfaces, functions, orders, groupings of functions, etc.) may be used in addition to or instead of those shown, and some elements may be omitted altogether. Further, many of the elements described herein are functional entities that may be implemented as discrete or distributed components or in conjunction with other components, and in any suitable combination and location. Various functions described herein as being performed by entities may be carried out by hardware, firmware, and/or software. For instance, various functions may be carried out by a processor executing instructions stored in memory. The system 100 can include any function, model (e.g., machine learning model), operation, routine, logic, or instructions to perform functions such as configuring machine learning models 104 as described herein, such as to configure machine learning models to determine segmentation masks, including to implement one or more aspects of a segmentation process 102.

The system 100 can train, update, and/or configure one or more models 104. The models 104 can include machine learning models or other models that can generate target outputs based on various types of inputs. The models 104 may include one or more neural networks. The neural network can include an input layer, an output layer, and/or one or more intermediate layers, such as hidden layers, which can each have respective nodes. The system 100 can train/update the neural network by modifying or updating one or more parameters, such as weights and/or biases, of various nodes of the neural network responsive to evaluating (e.g., using one or more loss functions) candidate outputs (e.g., estimated outputs) of the neural network in view of expected or ground truth outputs.

The models 104 can be or include various neural network models, including models that are effective for operating on or generating data including but not limited to image data, video data, sensor data (LiDAR, RADAR, ultrasonic, etc., including but not limited to sensor data detected using any of various sensors described with reference to vehicle of FIGS. 7A-7D), text data, speech data, audio data, or various combinations thereof. The models 104 can include one or more feature pyramid networks (FPNs), transformers, recurrent neural networks (RNNs), long short-term memory (LSTM) models, language models (e.g., large language models (LLMs)), other network types, or various combinations thereof. The models 104 can include generative models, such as generative adversarial networks (GANs), Markov decision processes, variational autoencoders (VAEs), Bayesian networks, autoregressive models, autoregressive encoder models (e.g., a model that includes an encoder to generate a latent representation (e.g., in an embedding space) of an input to the model (e.g., a representation of a different dimensionality than the input), and/or a decoder to generate an output representative of the input from the latent representation), or various combinations thereof.

The system 100 can operate on data 112 (e.g., inference or runtime data; training data), which may be retrieved from one or more data sources 108. The data sources 108 can include any of various databases, images streams, video streams, sensor data streams, user input sources, or various combinations thereof from which the system 100 can retrieve data 112 to process.

The data sources 108 can be maintained by one or more entities, which may be entities that maintain the system 100 and/or may be separate from entities that maintain the system 100. In some implementations, the system 100 uses data from different data sets, such as by using data 112 from a first data source 108 to perform at least a first configuring (e.g., updating or training) of the models 104, and uses training data elements from a second data source 108 to perform at least a second configuring of the models 104. For example, the first data source 108 can include publicly available data, while the second data source 108 can include domain-specific data (which may be limited in access as compared with the data of the first data source 108). The system 100 can use data 112 from the same or different data sources 108 to configure, train, update, and/or perform runtime operations on data 112.

The data 112 can include, without limitation, text, speech, audio, image, sensor, and/or video data. The system 100 can perform various pre-processing operations on the data 112, such as filtering, normalizing, compressing, decompressing, upscaling, downscaling, cropping, and/or conversion (e.g., to grayscale, from image and/or video data). The data 112 can represent or correspond to images (e.g., image 112a capturing object 122 as depicted in FIG. 1) (including video) that correspond one or more views of a scene captured using an image capture device (e.g., camera), or images generated computationally, such as simulated or virtual images or video (including by being modifications of images from an image capture device). The images can each include a plurality of pixels, such as pixels arranged in rows and columns. The images can include image data assigned to one or more pixels of the data 112, such as color, brightness, contrast, intensity, depth (e.g., for three-dimensional (3D) images), or various combinations thereof. The data 112 can include various forms of sensor data, for example and without limitation, camera data, RADAR data, LiDAR data, or various combinations thereof. In some implementations, the data 112 is assigned pose information regarding a respective sensor that detected the data 112, such as information indicating at least one of a position of the respective sensor or an orientation (e.g., direction of view; sensor field; field of view) of the respective sensor.

In some implementations, the data 112 (e.g., each instance of data 112, such as images, video frames, scans, point clouds, etc.) can represent or include a capture of at least one of an object or an instance. For example, the data 112 can represent one or more pixels representative of the object. The instance can include a data structure corresponding to one or more captures of the (same) object in one or more data 112, such as a data structure associating captures of a vehicle in multiple image frames of a video stream. The instance can include one or more semantic identifiers of the object of the instance, such as identifiers of a class or category of the object (e.g., and without limitation, identifiers such as pedestrian, vehicle, signs, lane lines, lane markers, barriers, sidewalks, curbs, parking structures, warehouse features, etc.).

The data 112 can be associated with at least one shape 116 (e.g., bounding shape). The shapes 116 can correspond to respective data 112, such as to be associated with or assigned to respective images (or video frames) included in the data 112. In some implementations, the shape 116 represents a boundary around at least a portion of an object captured in the data 112. The shapes 116 can indicate rectangular (e.g., box), triangular, polygonal, and/or other shaped subsets of pixels of the data 112 (e.g., for two-dimensional (2D) images) or cuboid subsets of pixels of the data 112 (e.g., for three-dimensional (3D) images). For example, the shapes 116 can include data structures representing a plurality of corners or edges of the shapes 116, such as an upper-left and lower-right corner for a two-dimensional bounding shape 116. In some implementations, the system 100 can render, for display or other presentation, a representation of the shape 116 using the data structure representing the shape 116 (e.g., by drawing edges along pixels between the pixels corresponding to the corners of the shape 116). The shapes 116 may have any of various rectangular/cuboid or non-rectangular/cuboid geometries. At least a subset of the pixels of the shapes 116 can be spaced from one or more pixels of the objects to which the shapes 116 are assigned, such as to be outward (or inward) from pixels forming respective edges of the objects.

The shapes 116 can correspond to one or more objects or classes of objects. For example, the shapes 116 (and/or the data 112) can be labeled with at least one of an identifier of an object corresponding to the shape 116 or a class of the object corresponding to the shape 116. For example, each of the shapes 116 can be labeled with the identifier of the object that the shape 116 forms the boundary around, such as an identifier of a class or category of the object. For example, the shapes 116 can form a portion of the data structure representing the instance of the object and/or the shapes 116 can be labeled with the identifier(s) of the data structure representing the instance.

The shapes 116 can be determined in various manners, including but not limited to by using one or more object detection models or algorithms, shape or box mapping models or algorithms, manually labeled images, projections of labeled 3D cuboids to 2D space or camera space (or vice versa), or retrieving the shapes 116 from a bounding shape data source 108 associated with the data 112 (e.g., a database including manually—e.g., human-labeled—or automatically determined bounding shapes 116). In some implementations, the system 100 retrieves the shape 116 as a data structure representative of a 3D cuboid (e.g., having corners and/or edges assigned pixels in a 3D frame of reference), and determines a 2D shape 116 from the 3D representation, such as by projecting the data structure from the 3D frame of reference into a 2D frame of reference (e.g., using intrinsic and/or extrinsic parameters of one or more sensors that captured the 3D data) to be used for output including the mask 120.

Referring further to FIG. 1, the system 100 can process the data 112 (e.g., process images represented by or corresponding to the data 112), based at least on one or more shapes 116 corresponding to the data 112, to determine one or more masks 120. The mask 120 can be a data structure indicating locations corresponding to the data 112, such as locations forming a border around an object represented by the data 112 and/or identifying a subset of pixels of the data 112 forming the border. The masks 120 can indicate regions, such as bounded regions of subsets of pixels of the data 112, to be modified or excluded relative to a remainder of the data 112. The masks 120 can be binary masks, such as data structures indicating a value of 0 or 1 for each of a plurality of pixels of the data 112. For example, the masks 120 can include image data structures having values of 0 or 1 for each pixel of the plurality of pixels. The masks 120 can include data structures representing polygons, such as closed polygons, such as data structures identifying one or more edges and/or vertices of a polygon. The masks 120 can have a same format (e.g., same rows and columns of pixels) as the data 112. The masks 120 may be of a different format than the data 112; for example, the pixels of the mask 120 can map to a subset of pixels of the data 112; the system 100 can determine the masks 120 in a different space or frame of reference than the data 112, such as a compressed, filtered, downscaled, and/or upscaled space, and the system 100 can perform various post-processing operations on the mask 120 subsequent to determining the masks 120 to reformat the masks 120 to a format corresponding to that of the data 112.

In some implementations, at least a subset of the masks 120 are located to border (e.g., form a boundary around) one or more objects or classes of objects. For example, the subset can include masks 120 corresponding to vehicles, pedestrians, robots, warehouse features or objects, vulnerable road users (VRUs), signs, roads, buildings, or other objects represented by the data 112. The system 100 can determine the masks 120 for multiple images 112a (or other sensor data representations) corresponding to a target instance (e.g., a data structure representing objects that the system 100 has identified as being the same object in multiple images 112a).

Referring further to FIG. 1, the system 100 can operate one or more machine learning models 104 to perform one or more operations of a segmentation process 102, such as to determine the mask 120 based at least on the image 112a and the shape 116 assigned to the image 112a. For example, as depicted in FIG. 1, the one or more machine learning models 104 can include at least one of a feature extractor 124, a shape identifier 128, and/or a mask identifier 132. In some implementations, the shape identifier 128 and/or mask identifier 132 form a portion of the feature extractor 124 (e.g., as compared to being separate functions or models as depicted in FIG. 1). In some implementations, as described further herein, the system 100 can at least partially bypass or otherwise not include a shape identifier 128 that is separate or distinct from the feature extractor 124 and/or mask identifier 132; for example, the system 100 can provide the shape 116 and/or data associated with the shape 116 (e.g., identifiers of the object 122 captured in the image 112a and/or a class of the object 122) to the machine learning model 104 and/or a function of the machine learning model 104 downstream of the feature extractor 124 in order to determine the mask 120.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the machine learning model 104 can retrieve, obtain, or otherwise receive at least one image 112a in which an object 122 is identified, captured, or otherwise represented. For example, the image 112a can include a plurality of first pixels representing the object 122. The plurality of first pixels can include any of position, color, brightness, and/or depth information representative of sensor data captured to represent the object 122. In the example depicted in FIG. 1, the object 122 is a vehicle.

The machine learning model 104 can retrieve, obtain, or otherwise receive at least one shape 116 assigned to the image 112a. As noted above, the shape 116 can be determined in various manners, such as manual or automated assignment of pixels to the image 112a to indicate the shape 116 around the object 122. For example, as depicted in FIG. 1, the shape 116 is formed as a rectangular box, having pixels spaced outward from pixels representing outer edges the object 122; in various implementations, the shapes 116 may be closer or further from the edges of the object 122 and may have various rectangular or non-rectangular geometries. In some implementations, the shape 116 assigned to the object 122 includes an identifier of a class of the object 122; for example, the shape 116 can be assigned a “vehicle” class identifier (and/or various other identifiers indicative of the object 122 being a vehicle, a specific type (e.g., SUV, sedan, truck, motorcycle, etc.), make, or model of vehicle, etc.).

The machine learning model 104 can apply the image 112a as input to a feature extractor 124 to determine one or more features (represented as one or more feature maps) in the image 112a. The feature extractor 124 can include one or more functions, algorithms, rules, heuristics, policies, machine learning models, neural networks, or various combinations thereof to perform operations including identifying features representative of objects from the image 112a. For example, the feature extractor 124 can include one or more featurizer networks, such as CNNs and/or residual networks (ResNets) configured to detect features. For example, the feature extractor 124 can include or be configured based at least on any of a variety of FPN-based network architectures/backbones, for example and without limitation, the network architecture/implementation described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/177,068, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In some implementations, the feature extractor 124 includes one or more FPNs, which can be useful for detecting features of objects at multiple scales in the images 112. For example, the feature extractor 124 can include at least one FPN configured to determine features based at least on receiving the images 112 as input and outputting proportionally sized feature maps at multiple levels. The FPN can include a plurality of stages corresponding to levels of a pyramid, each level having a scale proportional to one or more levels (e.g., the levels can be scaled by a factor of 2 relative to adjacent levels), such as a scale indicating a number of pixels. Each stage can include at least one neural network layer. The layers of the stages can be arranged in a bottom-up pathway, which can perform a feedforward computation (e.g., an output of one or more lower stage layers is provided to one or more higher stage layers) from lower, coarser stages to higher, finer resolution stages, and a top-down pathway, in which a feature map of a higher layer is upsampled to a larger size, and then combined with the feature map from the corresponding stage of the bottom-up pathway, before being provided to a subsequent upsampling operation; the upsampling/combining operations can be iteratively performed from the highest level to the lowest level to determine a corresponding feature map from the images 112.

The feature extractor 124 can determine one or features that represent objects or portions of objects in the image 112a, and can include an identifier of a type of the features and locations of the features in an output frame of reference of the feature extractor 124. For example, the feature extractor 124 can assign, to each feature identified from the image 112a, at least one of (i) an identifier of the feature and/or (ii) one or more pixels indicating a location of the feature. The feature extractor 124 can determine an output representing the identified one or more features, such as to determine a feature map indicating the one or more features.

Referring further to FIG. 1, in some implementations, the feature extractor 124 can include or be coupled with at least one shape identifier 128. The shape identifier 128 can be used to identify the shape 116 from the image 112a and/or from the output of the feature extractor 124. For example, the shape identifier 128 can determine the shape 116 corresponding to the object 122. The shape identifier 128 can be used to assign the shape 116 to the output of the feature extractor 124. The shape identifier 128 can be or include the shape 116 (e.g., a predetermined shape 116 retrieved by the machine learning models 104, such as the shape 116 provided for the object 122).

In some implementations, the shape identifier 128 includes a head of the feature extractor 124. For example, the shape identifier 128 can include a prediction head or detection head that is configured (e.g., during training, etc.) to detect bounding shapes 116 from the output of the feature extractor 124. As depicted in FIG. 1, the shape identifier 128 can use the shape 116 assigned to the object 122 to perform the box identification. For example, the shape identifier 128 can determine an estimated shape 116 according to the output of the feature extractor 124, and modify the estimated shape 116 based at least on the shape 116 assigned to the object 122. This can correspond to the shape 116 assigned to the object 122 being used to condition a (final) determination of a shape 116. For example, the shape identifier 128 can determine at least one estimated shape 116 according to the output of the feature extractor 124 (e.g., determine at least one kernel indicative of boxes for the object 112), and filter out or otherwise remove estimated shapes 116 or portions thereof that are outside of the shape 116 assigned to the object 112 (e.g., drop kernels outside of the area of the shape 116 assigned to the object 112). In various such implementations, by using the shape 116 assigned to the object 122 as ground truth data, the system 100 can determine masks 120 with greater precision and/or recall, including to achieve near-perfect precision (e.g., assigning masks 120 to the objects 122 to which shapes 116 are assigned and not to any other objects to which shapes 116 are not assigned) and/or near-perfect recall (e.g., assigning masks 120 to each object 122 to which shapes 116 are assigned). For example, the use of the shape 116 assigned to the object 122 can allow the system 100 to use the class information and object information of the object 122, as represented by the shape 116, as ground truth.

Referring further to FIG. 1, the feature extractor 124 can include or be coupled with at least one mask identifier 132. The mask identifier 132 can determine a mask output, such as a segmentation mask (e.g., masks 120) corresponding to the object 122 depicted in the image 112a, such as by determining the mask output based at least on one or more neural networks or other machine learning models 104 of the system 100 processing the image 112a (or image information thereof) and the shape 116. The mask identifier 132 can determine a mask output based at least on the output of the feature extractor 124 (e.g., based at least on the one or more features outputted by the feature extractor 124). For example, the mask identifier 132 can be configured (e.g., during training) to determine the mask output from the features, such as to determine pixels of the image 112a indicating the mask output. The mask identifier 132 can determine the mask output as one or more pixels or line segments indicative of edges of features and/or objects (such as the object 122) of the image 112a, which can be at least partially closer to an actual depiction of the object 122 than the shape 116. The mask output can represent an estimation or candidate representation of a mask 120 for the object 122. The shape 116 can surround at least a portion of the object 122 in the image 112a and a first additional portion of the image 112a, the mask can form an outline of the object 122 and a second additional portion of the image 112a, and the second additional portion can include fewer pixels than the first additional portion. In some implementations, the feature extractor 124 includes or is coupled with a head (e.g., prediction head) of the feature extractor 124 to use as the mask identifier 132. Responsive to processing the output of the feature extractor 124, the mask identifier 132 can output the mask output.

The machine learning models 104 can include one or more combiners 136 to determine the mask 120 using (1) the mask output and (2) the shape 116 assigned to the object 122 and/or the output of the shape identifier 128. In some implementations, the combiner 136 determines the mask 120 by modifying the mask output using the shape 116. For example, the combiner 136 can apply one or more of various operations to the mask output using the shape 116. The combiner 136 can apply a cross-correlation to the mask output based at least on the shape 116 to determine the mask 120. By applying the cross-correlation to the mask output, the combiner 136 can select (only) a portion of the mask output that represents a mask for the object 122 to which the shape 116 is assigned, which can enable the system 100 to precisely output masks 120 for the objects 122 to which shapes 116 are assigned.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the system 100 can include or be coupled with at least one image (or more generally, sensor data) processor 140. The image processor 140 can include one or more data structures, databases, functions, algorithms, or other storage elements and/or processors for performing operations including storing, modifying, generating, and/or updating images from one or more sensors, such as camera, LiDAR, RADAR, and/or ultrasound sensors. The image processor 140 can store, generate, modify, and/or update one or more map data structures or autonomous vehicle data structures, such as perspective view or top-down/bird's eye view (BEV) images of environments that can be used for autonomous vehicle tasks, including but not limited to perception and navigation tasks. In some implementations, the image processor 140 can perform one or more operations for processing sensor data in 2D and/or 3D environments, such as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 11,532,168, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including but not limited determining boxes and/or masks for images 112 of LiDAR sensor data. In some implementations, the system 100 retrieves at least one of the image 112a or the shape 116 assigned to the object 122 of the image 112a from the image processor 140, performs various operations described herein to determine the mask 120 for the object 122, and assigns the mask 120 to the image 112a in one or more data structures of the image processor 140, such as 2D or 3D images or maps maintained by the image processor 140.

Referring further to FIG. 1, the system 100 and/or the machine learning model 104 can be configured (e.g., trained, updated, fine-tuned) using training data instances including at least one of data 112 (e.g., images 112) or shapes 116. For example, the system 100 can provide the data 112 and one or more shapes 116 corresponding to the data 112 as input to the machine learning model 104, cause the machine learning model 104 to determine an estimated output (e.g., estimated bounding shape location, estimated class identifier of object(s), and/or estimated mask) according to the data 112 and shapes 116, evaluate the estimated output using one or more loss functions, and modify the machine learning model 104 (e.g., modify one or more weights or biases of one or more components of the machine learning model 104) according to the evaluation. In some implementations, the system 100 can update (e.g., fine-tune) the machine learning model 104 using test data, such as the data 112 capturing the object 122 and the shape 116 assigned to the object 122.

FIG. 2 depicts examples of a first image 204 and a second image 216. The images 204, 216 can correspond to a source image (e.g., image 112a) for which masks are assigned to one or more objects or portions of objects captured in the source image. The first image 204 can be processed using various object detection and/or mask segmentation systems, such as systems that use neural networks with a first detection head for detecting bounding shapes and a second detection head for detecting the masks. For example, as depicted in FIG. 2, responsive to instructions to mask vehicles in the source image, a target mask 208 can be determined for a vehicle in the first image 204; however, one or more non-target masks 212 might also be determined, such as masks 212 for portions of a parking structure, rather than for vehicles.

The system 100 can process the source image to determine a target mask 220, as shown for the second image 216. For example, the system 100 can receive a shape 116 identifying the vehicle in the source image and determine the target mask 220. As compared with the first image 204, by implementing one or more features or operations described with reference to FIG. 1, such as using a pre-assigned bounding shape for determining the target mask 220 and/or conditioning the determination of the target mask 220, the system 100 can determine the target mask 220 without determining masks for non-vehicle objects or structures. As such, the system 100 can have greater precision and/or recall for mask segmentation.

Now referring to FIG. 3, each block of method 300, described herein, comprises a computing process that may be performed using any combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software. For instance, various functions may be carried out by a processor executing instructions stored in memory. The method may also be embodied as computer-usable instructions stored on computer storage media. The method may be provided by a standalone application, a service or hosted service (standalone or in combination with another hosted service), or a plug-in to another product, to name a few. In addition, method 300 is described, by way of example, with respect to the systems of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. However, this method may additionally or alternatively be executed by any one system, or any combination of systems, including, but not limited to, those described herein.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a method 300 for object segmentation using machine learning autonomous systems and applications, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure. Various operations of the method 300 can be implemented by the same or different devices or entities at various points in time. For example, one or more first devices may implement operations relating to detecting images, such as sensor images, for which masks are to be determined; one or more second devices may implement operations relating to receiving and/or determining bounding shapes corresponding to objects in the images; and one or more third devices may implement operations relating to determining the masks based at least on the images and the bounding shapes. Any of the first, second, or third devices may be the same or different devices. Various operations of the method 300 can be performed in batches, synchronously, asynchronously, or responsive to various conditions; for example and without limitation, a first subset of a plurality of images can boxes retrieved and masks determined prior to processing a second subset of the plurality of images, or the first and second subsets may each be batched together for box retrieval followed mask determination.

The method 300, at block B302, includes receiving sensor data, such as an image. The image (or other sensor data representation) can be received from one or more sensors, such as cameras, LiDAR sensors, RADAR sensor, or ultrasound sensors. The image can be received as part of a stream of images from the one or more sensors. The image can be received by being sampled from the one or more sensors or retrieved from an image database, such as a database storing sensor images detected by the one or more sensors.

The method 300, at block B304, includes receiving and/or determining a bounding shape. The bounding shape can correspond to at least a portion of an object or other structure captured in the image. The bounding shape can be determined by any of a variety of processes, such as automated box labeling algorithms, or manual labeling. The bounding shape can include a data structure indicating one or more corners or edges forming the bounding shape, such as pixel locations of corners of the bounding shape in the image. The bounding shape can include or be labeled with an identifier of the object, such as an identifier of at least one of an instance represented by the object (e.g., a unique identifier), a class of the object, or a category of the object. In some implementations, receiving the bounding shape includes presenting the image using a user interface, and receiving an input indicating the bounding shape via the user interface. In some implementations, the image and bounding shape can be received as a single data structure; for example, the image can be received having the bounding shape assigned to the image. The bounding shape can include or be represented as a 2D or 3D box; in some implementations, the bounding shape can be received as a 3D box, from which a 2D box can be determined by projecting the 3D box into a target frame of reference, such as a 2D frame of reference to be used for masks determined for the image and/or downstream processing of the masks.

The method 300, at block B306, includes applying the image and the bounding shape to a neural network to determine a segmentation mask corresponding to the object to which the bounding shape corresponds. In some implementations, the neural network includes a featurizer, such as an FPN, to determine one or more features from the image. The featurizer can determine, at various scales and/or resolutions, features representative of objects, structures, or portions thereof, which may include identifying edges or other structures that may relate to precise positioning of masks. The featurizer can include or be coupled with a mask detection head (e.g., mask prediction head) that is configured to determine the mask from the image. In some implementations, the neural network can modify one or more candidate mask outputs representative of masks using the bounding shape; for example, the neural network can at least one of (i) directly combine the bounding shape with the one or more candidate mask outputs, such as to perform a cross-correlation between the bounding shape and the one or more candidate mask outputs, or (ii) condition operation of a box detection head of the neural network using the bounding shape. In some implementations, the mask is closer to one or more outer edges of the object than the bounding shape. For example, at least one pixel of the mask can be closer to (or aligned with) the one or more edges of the object than a pixel of the bounding shape that is closer to the one or more edges (e.g., as shown with respect to the shape 116, mask 120, and object 122 in FIG. 1, and the target mask 220 in the second image 212 of FIG. 2). The mask can form an outline of the object that is closer to the object than the bounding shape.

The method 300, at block B308, includes performing one or more operations using the mask. For example, the image, or a data structure using the image, such as a map, can be updated using the mask. Various vehicle simulation or operation tasks, such as vehicle system testing, perception, or navigation tasks, can be performed or updated using image data that includes the mask. The mask can be presented together with the image using a display device. In some implementations, the neural network can be updated, such as to be fine-tuned, using the test data (e.g., using the image and the bounding shape).

Example Content Streaming System

FIG. 4 is an example system diagram for a content streaming system 400, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 includes application server(s) 402 (which may include similar components, features, and/or functionality to the example computing device 500 of FIG. 5), client device(s) 404 (which may include similar components, features, and/or functionality to the example computing device 500 of FIG. 5), and network(s) 406 (which may be similar to the network(s) described herein). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the system 400 may be implemented to perform diffusion model and Neural Radiance Field (NeRF) training and runtime operations. The application session may correspond to a game streaming application (e.g., NVIDIA GEFORCE NOW), a remote desktop application, a simulation application (e.g., autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle simulation), computer aided design (CAD) applications, virtual reality (VR) and/or augmented reality (AR) streaming applications, deep learning applications, and/or other application types. For example, the system 400 can be implemented to receive input indicating one or more features of output to be generated using a neural network model, provide the input to the model to cause the model to generate the output, and use the output for various operations including display or simulation operations.

In the system 400, for an application session, the client device(s) 404 may only receive input data in response to inputs to the input device(s), transmit the input data to the application server(s) 402, receive encoded display data from the application server(s) 402, and display the display data on the display 424. As such, the more computationally intense computing and processing is offloaded to the application server(s) 402 (e.g., rendering—in particular ray or path tracing—for graphical output of the application session is executed by the GPU(s) of the game server(s) 402). In other words, the application session is streamed to the client device(s) 404 from the application server(s) 402, thereby reducing the requirements of the client device(s) 404 for graphics processing and rendering.

For example, with respect to an instantiation of an application session, a client device 404 may be displaying a frame of the application session on the display 424 based on receiving the display data from the application server(s) 402. The client device 404 may receive an input to one of the input device(s) and generate input data in response, such as to determine bounding shapes 116 according to the input. The client device 404 may transmit the input data to the application server(s) 402 via the communication interface 420 and over the network(s) 406 (e.g., the Internet), and the application server(s) 402 may receive the input data via the communication interface 418. The CPU(s) may receive the input data, process the input data, and transmit data to the GPU(s) that causes the GPU(s) to generate a rendering of the application session. For example, the input data may be representative of a movement of a character of the user in a game session of a game application, firing a weapon, reloading, passing a ball, turning a vehicle, etc. The rendering component 412 may render the application session (e.g., representative of the result of the input data) and the render capture component 414 may capture the rendering of the application session as display data (e.g., as image data capturing the rendered frame of the application session). The rendering of the application session may include ray or path-traced lighting and/or shadow effects, computed using one or more parallel processing units-such as GPUs, which may further employ the use of one or more dedicated hardware accelerators or processing cores to perform ray or path-tracing techniques-of the application server(s) 402. In some embodiments, one or more virtual machines (VMs)—e.g., including one or more virtual components, such as vGPUs, vCPUs, etc.—may be used by the application server(s) 402 to support the application sessions. The encoder 416 may then encode the display data to generate encoded display data and the encoded display data may be transmitted to the client device 404 over the network(s) 406 via the communication interface 418. The client device 404 may receive the encoded display data via the communication interface 420 and the decoder 422 may decode the encoded display data to generate the display data. The client device 404 may then display the display data via the display 424.

Example Computing Device

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example computing device(s) 500 suitable for use in implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure. Computing device 500 may include an interconnect system 502 that directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory 504, one or more central processing units (CPUs) 506, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs) 508, a communication interface 510, input/output (I/O) ports 512, input/output components 514, a power supply 516, one or more presentation components 518 (e.g., display(s)), and one or more logic units 520. In at least one embodiment, the computing device(s) 500 may comprise one or more virtual machines (VMs), and/or any of the components thereof may comprise virtual components (e.g., virtual hardware components). For non-limiting examples, one or more of the GPUs 508 may comprise one or more vGPUs, one or more of the CPUs 506 may comprise one or more vCPUs, and/or one or more of the logic units 520 may comprise one or more virtual logic units. As such, a computing device(s) 500 may include discrete components (e.g., a full GPU dedicated to the computing device 500), virtual components (e.g., a portion of a GPU dedicated to the computing device 500), or a combination thereof.

Although the various blocks of FIG. 5 are shown as connected via the interconnect system 502 with lines, this is not intended to be limiting and is for clarity only. For example, in some embodiments, a presentation component 518, such as a display device, may be considered an I/O component 514 (e.g., if the display is a touch screen). As another example, the CPUs 506 and/or GPUs 508 may include memory (e.g., the memory 504 may be representative of a storage device in addition to the memory of the GPUs 508, the CPUs 506, and/or other components). In other words, the computing device of FIG. 5 is merely illustrative. Distinction is not made between such categories as “workstation,” “server,” “laptop,” “desktop,” “tablet,” “client device,” “mobile device,” “hand-held device,” “game console,” “electronic control unit (ECU),” “virtual reality system,” and/or other device or system types, as all are contemplated within the scope of the computing device of FIG. 5.

The interconnect system 502 may represent one or more links or busses, such as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, or a combination thereof. The interconnect system 502 may be arranged in various topologies, including but not limited to bus, star, ring, mesh, tree, or hybrid topologies. The interconnect system 502 may include one or more bus or link types, such as an industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, a video electronics standards association (VESA) bus, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) bus, and/or another type of bus or link. In some embodiments, there are direct connections between components. As an example, the CPU 506 may be directly connected to the memory 504. Further, the CPU 506 may be directly connected to the GPU 508. Where there is direct, or point-to-point connection between components, the interconnect system 502 may include a PCIe link to carry out the connection. In these examples, a PCI bus need not be included in the computing device 500.

The memory 504 may include any of a variety of computer-readable media. The computer-readable media may be any available media that may be accessed by the computing device 500. The computer-readable media may include both volatile and nonvolatile media, and removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, the computer-readable media may comprise computer-storage media and communication media.

The computer-storage media may include both volatile and nonvolatile media and/or removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and/or other data types. For example, the memory 504 may store computer-readable instructions (e.g., that represent a program(s) and/or a program element(s), such as an operating system. Computer-storage media may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which may be used to store the desired information and which may be accessed by computing device 500. As used herein, computer storage media does not comprise signals per se.

The computer storage media may embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and/or other data types in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” may refer to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, the computer storage media may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The CPU(s) 506 may be configured to execute at least some of the computer-readable instructions to control one or more components of the computing device 500 to perform one or more of the methods and/or processes described herein. The CPU(s) 506 may each include one or more cores (e.g., one, two, four, eight, twenty-eight, seventy-two, etc.) that are capable of handling a multitude of software threads simultaneously. The CPU(s) 506 may include any type of processor, and may include different types of processors depending on the type of computing device 500 implemented (e.g., processors with fewer cores for mobile devices and processors with more cores for servers). For example, depending on the type of computing device 500, the processor may be an Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) processor implemented using Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) or an x86 processor implemented using Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC). The computing device 500 may include one or more CPUs 506 in addition to one or more microprocessors or supplementary co-processors, such as math co-processors.

In addition to or alternatively from the CPU(s) 506, the GPU(s) 508 may be configured to execute at least some of the computer-readable instructions to control one or more components of the computing device 500 to perform one or more of the methods and/or processes described herein. One or more of the GPU(s) 508 may be an integrated GPU (e.g., with one or more of the CPU(s) 506 and/or one or more of the GPU(s) 508 may be a discrete GPU. In embodiments, one or more of the GPU(s) 508 may be a coprocessor of one or more of the CPU(s) 506. The GPU(s) 508 may be used by the computing device 500 to render graphics (e.g., 3D graphics) or perform general purpose computations. For example, the GPU(s) 508 may be used for General-Purpose computing on GPUs (GPGPU). The GPU(s) 508 may include hundreds or thousands of cores that are capable of handling hundreds or thousands of software threads simultaneously. The GPU(s) 508 may generate pixel data for output images in response to rendering commands (e.g., rendering commands from the CPU(s) 506 received via a host interface). The GPU(s) 508 may include graphics memory, such as display memory, for storing pixel data or any other suitable data, such as GPGPU data. The display memory may be included as part of the memory 504. The GPU(s) 508 may include two or more GPUs operating in parallel (e.g., via a link). The link may directly connect the GPUs (e.g., using NVLINK) or may connect the GPUs through a switch (e.g., using NVSwitch). When combined together, each GPU 508 may generate pixel data or GPGPU data for different portions of an output or for different outputs (e.g., a first GPU for a first image and a second GPU for a second image). Each GPU may include its own memory, or may share memory with other GPUs.

In addition to or alternatively from the CPU(s) 506 and/or the GPU(s) 508, the logic unit(s) 520 may be configured to execute at least some of the computer-readable instructions to control one or more components of the computing device 500 to perform one or more of the methods and/or processes described herein. In embodiments, the CPU(s) 506, the GPU(s) 508, and/or the logic unit(s) 520 may discretely or jointly perform any combination of the methods, processes and/or portions thereof. One or more of the logic units 520 may be part of and/or integrated in one or more of the CPU(s) 506 and/or the GPU(s) 508 and/or one or more of the logic units 520 may be discrete components or otherwise external to the CPU(s) 506 and/or the GPU(s) 508. In embodiments, one or more of the logic units 520 may be a coprocessor of one or more of the CPU(s) 506 and/or one or more of the GPU(s) 508.

Examples of the logic unit(s) 520 include one or more processing cores and/or components thereof, such as Data Processing Units (DPUs), Tensor Cores (TCs), Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), Pixel Visual Cores (PVCs), Vision Processing Units (VPUs), Image Processing Units (IPUs), Graphics Processing Clusters (GPCs), Texture Processing Clusters (TPCs), Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), Tree Traversal Units (TTUs), Artificial Intelligence Accelerators (AIAs), Deep Learning Accelerators (DLAs), Arithmetic-Logic Units (ALUs), Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Floating Point Units (FPUs), input/output (I/O) elements, peripheral component interconnect (PCI) or peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) elements, and/or the like.

The communication interface 510 may include one or more receivers, transmitters, and/or transceivers that allow the computing device 500 to communicate with other computing devices via an electronic communication network, included wired and/or wireless communications. The communication interface 510 may include components and functionality to allow communication over any of a number of different networks, such as wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, ZigBee, etc.), wired networks (e.g., communicating over Ethernet or InfiniBand), low-power wide-area networks (e.g., LoRaWAN, SigFox, etc.), and/or the Internet. In one or more embodiments, logic unit(s) 520 and/or communication interface 510 may include one or more data processing units (DPUs) to transmit data received over a network and/or through interconnect system 502 directly to (e.g., a memory of) one or more GPU(s) 508. In some embodiments, a plurality of computing devices 500 or components thereof, which may be similar or different to one another in various respects, can be communicatively coupled to transmit and receive data for performing various operations described herein, such as to facilitate latency reduction.

The I/O ports 512 may allow the computing device 500 to be logically coupled to other devices including the I/O components 514, the presentation component(s) 518, and/or other components, some of which may be built in to (e.g., integrated in) the computing device 500. Illustrative I/O components 514 include a microphone, mouse, keyboard, joystick, game pad, game controller, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, etc. The I/O components 514 may provide a natural user interface (NUI) that processes air gestures, voice, or other physiological inputs generated by a user, such as to generate a driving signal for use by modifier 112, or a reference image (e.g., images 104). In some instances, inputs may be transmitted to an appropriate network element for further processing, such as to modify and register images. An NUI may implement any combination of speech recognition, stylus recognition, facial recognition, biometric recognition, gesture recognition both on screen and adjacent to the screen, air gestures, head and eye tracking, and touch recognition (as described in more detail below) associated with a display of the computing device 500. The computing device 500 may be include depth cameras, such as stereoscopic camera systems, infrared camera systems, RGB camera systems, touchscreen technology, and combinations of these, for gesture detection and recognition. Additionally, the computing device 500 may include accelerometers or gyroscopes (e.g., as part of an inertia measurement unit (IMU)) that allow detection of motion. In some examples, the output of the accelerometers or gyroscopes may be used by the computing device 500 to render immersive augmented reality or virtual reality.

The power supply 516 may include a hard-wired power supply, a battery power supply, or a combination thereof. The power supply 516 may provide power to the computing device 500 to allow the components of the computing device 500 to operate.

The presentation component(s) 518 may include a display (e.g., a monitor, a touch screen, a television screen, a heads-up-display (HUD), other display types, or a combination thereof), speakers, and/or other presentation components. The presentation component(s) 518 may receive data from other components (e.g., the GPU(s) 508, the CPU(s) 506, DPUs, etc.), and output the data (e.g., as an image, video, sound, etc.).

Example Data Center

FIG. 6 illustrates an example data center 600 that may be used in at least one embodiments of the present disclosure, such as to implement the image processing system 100 in one or more examples of the data center 600. The data center 600 may include a data center infrastructure layer 610, a framework layer 620, a software layer 630, and/or an application layer 640.

As shown in FIG. 6, the data center infrastructure layer 610 may include a resource orchestrator 612, grouped computing resources 614, and node computing resources (“node C.R.s”) 616(1)-616(N), where “N” represents any whole, positive integer. In at least one embodiment, node C.R.s 616(1)-616(N) may include, but are not limited to, any number of central processing units (CPUs) or other processors (including DPUs, accelerators, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processors or graphics processing units (GPUs), etc.), memory devices (e.g., dynamic read-only memory), storage devices (e.g., solid state or disk drives), network input/output (NW I/O) devices, network switches, virtual machines (VMs), power modules, and/or cooling modules, etc. In some embodiments, one or more node C.R.s from among node C.R.s 616(1)-616(N) may correspond to a server having one or more of the above-mentioned computing resources. In addition, in some embodiments, the node C.R.s 616(1)-6161(N) may include one or more virtual components, such as vGPUs, vCPUs, and/or the like, and/or one or more of the node C.R.s 616(1)-616(N) may correspond to a virtual machine (VM).

In at least one embodiment, grouped computing resources 614 may include separate groupings of node C.R.s 616 housed within one or more racks (not shown), or many racks housed in data centers at various geographical locations (also not shown). Separate groupings of node C.R.s 616 within grouped computing resources 614 may include grouped compute, network, memory or storage resources that may be configured or allocated to support one or more workloads. In at least one embodiment, several node C.R.s 616 including CPUs, GPUs, DPUs, and/or other processors may be grouped within one or more racks to provide compute resources to support one or more workloads. The one or more racks may also include any number of power modules, cooling modules, and/or network switches, in any combination.

The resource orchestrator 612 may configure or otherwise control one or more node C.R.s 616(1)-616(N) and/or grouped computing resources 614. In at least one embodiment, resource orchestrator 612 may include a software design infrastructure (SDI) management entity for the data center 600. The resource orchestrator 612 may include hardware, software, or some combination thereof.

In at least one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, framework layer 620 may include a job scheduler 628, a configuration manager 634, a resource manager 636, and/or a distributed file system 638. The framework layer 620 may include a framework to support software 632 of software layer 630 and/or one or more application(s) 642 of application layer 640. The software 632 or application(s) 642 may respectively include web-based service software or applications, such as those provided by Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. The framework layer 620 may be, but is not limited to, a type of free and open-source software web application framework such as Apache Spark™ (hereinafter “Spark”) that may utilize distributed file system 638 for large-scale data processing (e.g., “big data”). In at least one embodiment, job scheduler 628 may include a Spark driver to facilitate scheduling of workloads supported by various layers of data center 600. The configuration manager 634 may be capable of configuring different layers such as software layer 630 and framework layer 620 including Spark and distributed file system 638 for supporting large-scale data processing. The resource manager 636 may be capable of managing clustered or grouped computing resources mapped to or allocated for support of distributed file system 638 and job scheduler 628. In at least one embodiment, clustered or grouped computing resources may include grouped computing resource 614 at data center infrastructure layer 610. The resource manager 636 may coordinate with resource orchestrator 612 to manage these mapped or allocated computing resources.

In at least one embodiment, software 632 included in software layer 630 may include software used by at least portions of node C.R.s 616(1)-616(N), grouped computing resources 614, and/or distributed file system 638 of framework layer 620. One or more types of software may include, but are not limited to, Internet web page search software, e-mail virus scan software, database software, and streaming video content software.

In at least one embodiment, application(s) 642 included in application layer 640 may include one or more types of applications used by at least portions of node C.R.s 616(1)-616(N), grouped computing resources 614, and/or distributed file system 638 of framework layer 620. One or more types of applications may include, but are not limited to, any number of a genomics application, a cognitive compute, and a machine learning application, including training or inferencing software, machine learning framework software (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Caffe, etc.), and/or other machine learning applications used in conjunction with one or more embodiments, such as to train, configure, update, and/or execute machine learning models 104.

In at least one embodiment, any of configuration manager 634, resource manager 636, and resource orchestrator 612 may implement any number and type of self-modifying actions based on any amount and type of data acquired in any technically feasible fashion. Self-modifying actions may relieve a data center operator of data center 600 from making possibly bad configuration decisions and possibly avoiding underutilized and/or poor performing portions of a data center.

The data center 600 may include tools, services, software or other resources to train one or more machine learning models (e.g., train models 104) or predict or infer information using one or more machine learning models according to one or more embodiments described herein. For example, a machine learning model(s) may be trained by calculating weight parameters according to a neural network architecture using software and/or computing resources described above with respect to the data center 600. In at least one embodiment, trained or deployed machine learning models corresponding to one or more neural networks may be used to infer or predict information using resources described above with respect to the data center 600 by using weight parameters calculated through one or more training techniques, such as but not limited to those described herein.

In at least one embodiment, the data center 600 may use CPUs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), GPUs, FPGAs, and/or other hardware (or virtual compute resources corresponding thereto) to perform training and/or inferencing using above-described resources. Moreover, one or more software and/or hardware resources described above may be configured as a service to allow users to train or perform inferencing of information, such as image recognition, speech recognition, or other artificial intelligence services.

Example Network Environments

Network environments suitable for use in implementing embodiments of the disclosure may include one or more client devices, servers, network attached storage (NAS), other backend devices, and/or other device types. The client devices, servers, and/or other device types (e.g., each device) may be implemented on one or more instances of the computing device(s) 500 of FIG. 5—e.g., each device may include similar components, features, and/or functionality of the computing device(s) 500. In addition, where backend devices (e.g., servers, NAS, etc.) are implemented, the backend devices may be included as part of a data center 600, an example of which is described in more detail herein with respect to FIG. 6.

Components of a network environment may communicate with each other via a network(s), which may be wired, wireless, or both. The network may include multiple networks, or a network of networks. By way of example, the network may include one or more Wide Area Networks (WANs), one or more Local Area Networks (LANs), one or more public networks such as the Internet and/or a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and/or one or more private networks. Where the network includes a wireless telecommunications network, components such as a base station, a communications tower, or even access points (as well as other components) may provide wireless connectivity.

Compatible network environments may include one or more peer-to-peer network environments—in which case a server may not be included in a network environment—and one or more client-server network environments—in which case one or more servers may be included in a network environment. In peer-to-peer network environments, functionality described herein with respect to a server(s) may be implemented on any number of client devices.

In at least one embodiment, a network environment may include one or more cloud-based network environments, a distributed computing environment, a combination thereof, etc. A cloud-based network environment may include a framework layer, a job scheduler, a resource manager, and a distributed file system implemented on one or more of servers, which may include one or more core network servers and/or edge servers. A framework layer may include a framework to support software of a software layer and/or one or more application(s) of an application layer. The software or application(s) may respectively include web-based service software or applications. In embodiments, one or more of the client devices may use the web-based service software or applications (e.g., by accessing the service software and/or applications via one or more application programming interfaces (APIs)). The framework layer may be, but is not limited to, a type of free and open-source software web application framework such as that may use a distributed file system for large-scale data processing (e.g., “big data”).

A cloud-based network environment may provide cloud computing and/or cloud storage that carries out any combination of computing and/or data storage functions described herein (or one or more portions thereof). Any of these various functions may be distributed over multiple locations from central or core servers (e.g., of one or more data centers that may be distributed across a state, a region, a country, the globe, etc.). If a connection to a user (e.g., a client device) is relatively close to an edge server(s), a core server(s) may designate at least a portion of the functionality to the edge server(s). A cloud-based network environment may be private (e.g., limited to a single organization), may be public (e.g., available to many organizations), and/or a combination thereof (e.g., a hybrid cloud environment).

The client device(s) may include at least some of the components, features, and functionality of the example computing device(s) 500 described herein with respect to FIG. 5. By way of example and not limitation, a client device may be embodied as a Personal Computer (PC), a laptop computer, a mobile device, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, a wearable computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), an MP3 player, a virtual reality headset, a Global Positioning System (GPS) or device, a video player, a video camera, a surveillance device or system, a vehicle, a boat, a flying vessel, a virtual machine, a drone, a robot, a handheld communications device, a hospital device, a gaming device or system, an entertainment system, a vehicle computer system, an embedded system controller, a remote control, an appliance, a consumer electronic device, a workstation, an edge device, any combination of these delineated devices, or any other suitable device.

Example Autonomous Vehicle

FIG. 7A is an illustration of an example autonomous vehicle 700, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The autonomous vehicle 700 (alternatively referred to herein as the “vehicle 700”) may include, without limitation, a passenger vehicle, such as a car, a truck, a bus, a first responder vehicle, a shuttle, an electric or motorized bicycle, a motorcycle, a fire truck, a police vehicle, an ambulance, a boat, a construction vehicle, an underwater craft, a robotic vehicle, a drone, an airplane, a vehicle coupled to a trailer (e.g., a semi-tractor-trailer truck used for hauling cargo), and/or another type of vehicle (e.g., that is unmanned and/or that accommodates one or more passengers). The autonomous vehicle 700 can include components of and/or be used to perform operations based at least on signals or other data outputted by any of various systems and devices described herein, including but not limited to the system 100, the content streaming system 400, the computing device 500, the data center 600, or various combinations thereof. Autonomous vehicles are generally described in terms of automation levels, defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a division of the US Department of Transportation, and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) “Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles” (Standard No. J3016-201806, published on Jun. 15, 2018, Standard No. J3016-201609, published on Sep. 30, 2016, and previous and future versions of this standard). The vehicle 700 may be capable of functionality in accordance with one or more of Level 3-Level 5 of the autonomous driving levels. The vehicle 700 may be capable of functionality in accordance with one or more of Level 1-Level 5 of the autonomous driving levels. For example, the vehicle 700 may be capable of driver assistance (Level 1), partial automation (Level 2), conditional automation (Level 3), high automation (Level 4), and/or full automation (Level 5), depending on the embodiment. The term “autonomous,” as used herein, may include any and/or all types of autonomy for the vehicle 700 or other machine, such as being fully autonomous, being highly autonomous, being conditionally autonomous, being partially autonomous, providing assistive autonomy, being semi-autonomous, being primarily autonomous, or other designation.

The vehicle 700 may include components such as a chassis, a vehicle body, wheels (e.g., 2, 4, 6, 8, 18, etc.), tires, axles, and other components of a vehicle. The vehicle 700 may include a propulsion system 750, such as an internal combustion engine, hybrid electric power plant, an all-electric engine, and/or another propulsion system type. The propulsion system 750 may be connected to a drive train of the vehicle 700, which may include a transmission, to enable the propulsion of the vehicle 700. The propulsion system 750 may be controlled in response to receiving signals from the throttle/accelerator 752.

A steering system 754, which may include a steering wheel, may be used to steer the vehicle 700 (e.g., along a desired path or route) when the propulsion system 750 is operating (e.g., when the vehicle is in motion). The steering system 754 may receive signals from a steering actuator 756. The steering wheel may be optional for full automation (Level 5) functionality.

The brake sensor system 746 may be used to operate the vehicle brakes in response to receiving signals from the brake actuators 748 and/or brake sensors.

Controller(s) 736, which may include one or more system on chips (SoCs) 704 (FIG. 7C) and/or GPU(s), may provide signals (e.g., representative of commands) to one or more components and/or systems of the vehicle 700. For example, the controller(s) may send signals to operate the vehicle brakes via one or more brake actuators 748, to operate the steering system 754 via one or more steering actuators 756, to operate the propulsion system 750 via one or more throttle/accelerators 752. The controller(s) 736 may include one or more onboard (e.g., integrated) computing devices (e.g., supercomputers) that process sensor signals, and output operation commands (e.g., signals representing commands) to enable autonomous driving and/or to assist a human driver in driving the vehicle 700. The controller(s) 736 may include a first controller 736 for autonomous driving functions, a second controller 736 for functional safety functions, a third controller 736 for artificial intelligence functionality (e.g., computer vision), a fourth controller 736 for infotainment functionality, a fifth controller 736 for redundancy in emergency conditions, and/or other controllers. In some examples, a single controller 736 may handle two or more of the above functionalities, two or more controllers 736 may handle a single functionality, and/or any combination thereof.

The controller(s) 736 may provide the signals for controlling one or more components and/or systems of the vehicle 700 in response to sensor data received from one or more sensors (e.g., sensor inputs). The sensor data may be received from, for example and without limitation, global navigation satellite systems (“GNSS”) sensor(s) 758 (e.g., Global Positioning System sensor(s)), RADAR sensor(s) 760, ultrasonic sensor(s) 762, LiDAR sensor(s) 764, inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor(s) 766 (e.g., accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), magnetic compass(es), magnetometer(s), etc.), microphone(s) 796, stereo camera(s) 768, wide-view camera(s) 770 (e.g., fisheye cameras), infrared camera(s) 772, surround camera(s) 774 (e.g., 360 degree cameras), long-range and/or mid-range camera(s) 798, speed sensor(s) 744 (e.g., for measuring the speed of the vehicle 700), vibration sensor(s) 742, steering sensor(s) 740, brake sensor(s) (e.g., as part of the brake sensor system 746), and/or other sensor types. In some implementations, the controller(s) 736 determine signals based at least one sensor data including one or more segmentation masks 120 corresponding to objects depicted or otherwise represented in sensor data.

One or more of the controller(s) 736 may receive inputs (e.g., represented by input data) from an instrument cluster 732 of the vehicle 700 and provide outputs (e.g., represented by output data, display data, etc.) via a human-machine interface (HMI) display 734, an audible annunciator, a loudspeaker, and/or via other components of the vehicle 700. The outputs may include information such as vehicle velocity, speed, time, map data (e.g., the High Definition (“HD”) map 722 of FIG. 7C), location data (e.g., the vehicle's 700 location, such as on a map), direction, location of other vehicles (e.g., an occupancy grid), information about objects and status of objects as perceived by the controller(s) 736, etc. For example, the HMI display 734 may display information about the presence of one or more objects (e.g., a street sign, caution sign, traffic light changing, etc.), and/or information about driving maneuvers the vehicle has made, is making, or will make (e.g., changing lanes now, taking exit 34B in two miles, etc.).

The vehicle 700 further includes a network interface 724 which may use one or more wireless antenna(s) 726 and/or modem(s) to communicate over one or more networks. For example, the network interface 724 may be capable of communication over Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (“WCDMA”), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”), Global System for Mobile communication (“GSM”), IMT-CDMA Multi-Carrier (“CDMA2000”), etc. The wireless antenna(s) 726 may also enable communication between objects in the environment (e.g., vehicles, mobile devices, etc.), using local area network(s), such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (“LE”), Z-Wave, ZigBee, etc., and/or low power wide-area network(s) (“LPWANs”), such as LoRaWAN, SigFox, etc.

FIG. 7B is an example of camera locations and fields of view for the example autonomous vehicle 700 of FIG. 7A, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The cameras and respective fields of view are one example embodiment and are not intended to be limiting. For example, additional and/or alternative cameras may be included and/or the cameras may be located at different locations on the vehicle 700.

The camera types for the cameras may include, but are not limited to, digital cameras that may be adapted for use with the components and/or systems of the vehicle 700. The camera(s) may operate at automotive safety integrity level (ASIL) B and/or at another ASIL. The camera types may be capable of any image capture rate, such as 60 frames per second (fps), 120 fps, 240 fps, etc., depending on the embodiment. The cameras may be capable of using rolling shutters, global shutters, another type of shutter, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the color filter array may include a red clear clear clear (RCCC) color filter array, a red clear clear blue (RCCB) color filter array, a red blue green clear (RBGC) color filter array, a Foveon X3 color filter array, a Bayer sensors (RGGB) color filter array, a monochrome sensor color filter array, and/or another type of color filter array. In some embodiments, clear pixel cameras, such as cameras with an RCCC, an RCCB, and/or an RBGC color filter array, may be used in an effort to increase light sensitivity.

In some examples, one or more of the camera(s) may be used to perform advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) functions (e.g., as part of a redundant or fail-safe design). For example, a Multi-Function Mono Camera may be installed to provide functions including lane departure warning, traffic sign assist and intelligent headlamp control. One or more of the camera(s) (e.g., all of the cameras) may record and provide image data (e.g., video) simultaneously.

One or more of the cameras may be mounted in a mounting assembly, such as a custom designed (three dimensional (“3D”) printed) assembly, in order to cut out stray light and reflections from within the car (e.g., reflections from the dashboard reflected in the windshield mirrors) which may interfere with the camera's image data capture abilities. With reference to wing-mirror mounting assemblies, the wing-mirror assemblies may be custom 3D printed so that the camera mounting plate matches the shape of the wing-mirror. In some examples, the camera(s) may be integrated into the wing-mirror. For side-view cameras, the camera(s) may also be integrated within the four pillars at each corner of the cabin.

Cameras with a field of view that include portions of the environment in front of the vehicle 700 (e.g., front-facing cameras) may be used for surround view, to help identify forward facing paths and obstacles, as well aid in, with the help of one or more controllers 736 and/or control SoCs, providing information critical to generating an occupancy grid and/or determining the preferred vehicle paths. Front-facing cameras may be used to perform many of the same ADAS functions as LiDAR, including emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and collision avoidance. Front-facing cameras may also be used for ADAS functions and systems including Lane Departure Warnings (“LDW”), Autonomous Cruise Control (“ACC”), and/or other functions such as traffic sign recognition.

A variety of cameras may be used in a front-facing configuration, including, for example, a monocular camera platform that includes a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (“CMOS”) color imager. Another example may be a wide-view camera(s) 770 that may be used to perceive objects coming into view from the periphery (e.g., pedestrians, crossing traffic or bicycles). Although only one wide-view camera is illustrated in FIG. 7B, there may be any number (including zero) of wide-view cameras 770 on the vehicle 700. In addition, any number of long-range camera(s) 798 (e.g., a long-view stereo camera pair) may be used for depth-based object detection, especially for objects for which a neural network has not yet been trained. The long-range camera(s) 798 may also be used for object detection and classification, as well as basic object tracking.

Any number of stereo cameras 768 may also be included in a front-facing configuration. In at least one embodiment, one or more of stereo camera(s) 768 may include an integrated control unit comprising a scalable processing unit, which may provide a programmable logic (“FPGA”) and a multi-core micro-processor with an integrated Controller Area Network (“CAN”) or Ethernet interface on a single chip. Such a unit may be used to generate a 3D map of the vehicle's environment, including a distance estimate for all the points in the image. An alternative stereo camera(s) 768 may include a compact stereo vision sensor(s) that may include two camera lenses (one each on the left and right) and an image processing chip that may measure the distance from the vehicle to the target object and use the generated information (e.g., metadata) to activate the autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning functions. Other types of stereo camera(s) 768 may be used in addition to, or alternatively from, those described herein.

Cameras with a field of view that include portions of the environment to the side of the vehicle 700 (e.g., side-view cameras) may be used for surround view, providing information used to create and update the occupancy grid, as well as to generate side impact collision warnings. For example, surround camera(s) 774 (e.g., four surround cameras 774 as illustrated in FIG. 7B) may be positioned to on the vehicle 700. The surround camera(s) 774 may include wide-view camera(s) 770, fisheye camera(s), 360 degree camera(s), and/or the like. Four example, four fisheye cameras may be positioned on the vehicle's front, rear, and sides. In an alternative arrangement, the vehicle may use three surround camera(s) 774 (e.g., left, right, and rear), and may leverage one or more other camera(s) (e.g., a forward-facing camera) as a fourth surround view camera.

Cameras with a field of view that include portions of the environment to the rear of the vehicle 700 (e.g., rear-view cameras) may be used for park assistance, surround view, rear collision warnings, and creating and updating the occupancy grid. A wide variety of cameras may be used including, but not limited to, cameras that are also suitable as a front-facing camera(s) (e.g., long-range and/or mid-range camera(s) 798, stereo camera(s) 768), infrared camera(s) 772, etc.), as described herein.

FIG. 7C is a block diagram of an example system architecture for the example autonomous vehicle 700 of FIG. 7A, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that this and other arrangements described herein are set forth only as examples. Other arrangements and elements (e.g., machines, interfaces, functions, orders, groupings of functions, etc.) may be used in addition to or instead of those shown, and some elements may be omitted altogether. Further, many of the elements described herein are functional entities that may be implemented as discrete or distributed components or in conjunction with other components, and in any suitable combination and location. Various functions described herein as being performed by entities may be carried out by hardware, firmware, and/or software. For instance, various functions may be carried out by a processor executing instructions stored in memory.

Each of the components, features, and systems of the vehicle 700 in FIG. 7C are illustrated as being connected via bus 702. The bus 702 may include a Controller Area Network (CAN) data interface (alternatively referred to herein as a “CAN bus”). A CAN may be a network inside the vehicle 700 used to aid in control of various features and functionality of the vehicle 700, such as actuation of brakes, acceleration, braking, steering, windshield wipers, etc. A CAN bus may be configured to have dozens or even hundreds of nodes, each with its own unique identifier (e.g., a CAN ID). The CAN bus may be read to find steering wheel angle, ground speed, engine revolutions per minute (RPMs), button positions, and/or other vehicle status indicators. The CAN bus may be ASIL B compliant.

Although the bus 702 is described herein as being a CAN bus, this is not intended to be limiting. For example, in addition to, or alternatively from, the CAN bus, FlexRay and/or Ethernet may be used. Additionally, although a single line is used to represent the bus 702, this is not intended to be limiting. For example, there may be any number of busses 702, which may include one or more CAN busses, one or more FlexRay busses, one or more Ethernet busses, and/or one or more other types of busses using a different protocol. In some examples, two or more busses 702 may be used to perform different functions, and/or may be used for redundancy. For example, a first bus 702 may be used for collision avoidance functionality and a second bus 702 may be used for actuation control. In any example, each bus 702 may communicate with any of the components of the vehicle 700, and two or more busses 702 may communicate with the same components. In some examples, each SoC 704, each controller 736, and/or each computer within the vehicle may have access to the same input data (e.g., inputs from sensors of the vehicle 700), and may be connected to a common bus, such the CAN bus.

The vehicle 700 may include one or more controller(s) 736, such as those described herein with respect to FIG. 7A. The controller(s) 736 may be used for a variety of functions. The controller(s) 736 may be coupled to any of the various other components and systems of the vehicle 700, and may be used for control of the vehicle 700, artificial intelligence of the vehicle 700, infotainment for the vehicle 700, and/or the like.

The vehicle 700 may include a system(s) on a chip (SoC) 704. The SoC 704 may include CPU(s) 706, GPU(s) 708, processor(s) 710, cache(s) 712, accelerator(s) 714, data store(s) 716, and/or other components and features not illustrated. The SoC(s) 704 may be used to control the vehicle 700 in a variety of platforms and systems. For example, the SoC(s) 704 may be combined in a system (e.g., the system of the vehicle 700) with an HD map 722 which may obtain map refreshes and/or updates via a network interface 724 from one or more servers (e.g., server(s) 778 of FIG. 7D).

The CPU(s) 706 may include a CPU cluster or CPU complex (alternatively referred to herein as a “CCPLEX”). The CPU(s) 706 may include multiple cores and/or L2 caches. For example, in some embodiments, the CPU(s) 706 may include eight cores in a coherent multi-processor configuration. In some embodiments, the CPU(s) 706 may include four dual-core clusters where each cluster has a dedicated L2 cache (e.g., a 2 MB L2 cache). The CPU(s) 706 (e.g., the CCPLEX) may be configured to support simultaneous cluster operation enabling any combination of the clusters of the CPU(s) 706 to be active at any given time.

The CPU(s) 706 may implement power management capabilities that include one or more of the following features: individual hardware blocks may be clock-gated automatically when idle to save dynamic power; each core clock may be gated when the core is not actively executing instructions due to execution of WFI/WFE instructions; each core may be independently power-gated; each core cluster may be independently clock-gated when all cores are clock-gated or power-gated; and/or each core cluster may be independently power-gated when all cores are power-gated. The CPU(s) 706 may further implement an enhanced algorithm for managing power states, where allowed power states and expected wakeup times are specified, and the hardware/microcode determines the best power state to enter for the core, cluster, and CCPLEX. The processing cores may support simplified power state entry sequences in software with the work offloaded to microcode.

The GPU(s) 708 may include an integrated GPU (alternatively referred to herein as an “iGPU”). The GPU(s) 708 may be programmable and may be efficient for parallel workloads. The GPU(s) 708, in some examples, may use an enhanced tensor instruction set. The GPU(s) 708 may include one or more streaming microprocessors, where each streaming microprocessor may include an L1 cache (e.g., an L1 cache with at least 96 KB storage capacity), and two or more of the streaming microprocessors may share an L2 cache (e.g., an L2 cache with a 512 KB storage capacity). In some embodiments, the GPU(s) 708 may include at least eight streaming microprocessors. The GPU(s) 708 may use compute application programming interface(s) (API(s)). In addition, the GPU(s) 708 may use one or more parallel computing platforms and/or programming models (e.g., NVIDIA's CUDA).

The GPU(s) 708 may be power-optimized for best performance in automotive and embedded use cases. For example, the GPU(s) 708 may be fabricated on a Fin field-effect transistor (FinFET). However, this is not intended to be limiting and the GPU(s) 708 may be fabricated using other semiconductor manufacturing processes. Each streaming microprocessor may incorporate a number of mixed-precision processing cores partitioned into multiple blocks. For example, and without limitation, 64 PF32 cores and 32 PF64 cores may be partitioned into four processing blocks. In such an example, each processing block may be allocated 16 FP32 cores, 8 FP64 cores, 16 INT32 cores, two mixed-precision NVIDIA TENSOR COREs for deep learning matrix arithmetic, an L0 instruction cache, a warp scheduler, a dispatch unit, and/or a 64 KB register file. In addition, the streaming microprocessors may include independent parallel integer and floating-point data paths to provide for efficient execution of workloads with a mix of computation and addressing calculations. The streaming microprocessors may include independent thread scheduling capability to enable finer-grain synchronization and cooperation between parallel threads. The streaming microprocessors may include a combined L1 data cache and shared memory unit in order to improve performance while simplifying programming.

The GPU(s) 708 may include a high bandwidth memory (HBM) and/or a 16 GB HBM2 memory subsystem to provide, in some examples, about 900 GB/second peak memory bandwidth. In some examples, in addition to, or alternatively from, the HBM memory, a synchronous graphics random-access memory (SGRAM) may be used, such as a graphics double data rate type five synchronous random-access memory (GDDR5).

The GPU(s) 708 may include unified memory technology including access counters to allow for more accurate migration of memory pages to the processor that accesses them most frequently, thereby improving efficiency for memory ranges shared between processors. In some examples, address translation services (ATS) support may be used to allow the GPU(s) 708 to access the CPU(s) 706 page tables directly. In such examples, when the GPU(s) 708 memory management unit (MMU) experiences a miss, an address translation request may be transmitted to the CPU(s) 706. In response, the CPU(s) 706 may look in its page tables for the virtual-to-physical mapping for the address and transmits the translation back to the GPU(s) 708. As such, unified memory technology may allow a single unified virtual address space for memory of both the CPU(s) 706 and the GPU(s) 708, thereby simplifying the GPU(s) 708 programming and porting of applications to the GPU(s) 708.

In addition, the GPU(s) 708 may include an access counter that may keep track of the frequency of access of the GPU(s) 708 to memory of other processors. The access counter may help ensure that memory pages are moved to the physical memory of the processor that is accessing the pages most frequently.

The SoC(s) 704 may include any number of cache(s) 712, including those described herein. For example, the cache(s) 712 may include an L3 cache that is available to both the CPU(s) 706 and the GPU(s) 708 (e.g., that is connected both the CPU(s) 706 and the GPU(s) 708). The cache(s) 712 may include a write-back cache that may keep track of states of lines, such as by using a cache coherence protocol (e.g., MEI, MESI, MSI, etc.). The L3 cache may include 4 MB or more, depending on the embodiment, although smaller cache sizes may be used.

The SoC(s) 704 may include an arithmetic logic unit(s) (ALU(s)) which may be leveraged in performing processing with respect to any of the variety of tasks or operations of the vehicle 700—such as processing DNNs. In addition, the SoC(s) 704 may include a floating point unit(s) (FPU(s))—or other math coprocessor or numeric coprocessor types—for performing mathematical operations within the system. For example, the SoC(s) 104 may include one or more FPUs integrated as execution units within a CPU(s) 706 and/or GPU(s) 708.

The SoC(s) 704 may include one or more accelerators 714 (e.g., hardware accelerators, software accelerators, or a combination thereof). For example, the SoC(s) 704 may include a hardware acceleration cluster that may include optimized hardware accelerators and/or large on-chip memory. The large on-chip memory (e.g., 4 MB of SRAM), may enable the hardware acceleration cluster to accelerate neural networks and other calculations. The hardware acceleration cluster may be used to complement the GPU(s) 708 and to off-load some of the tasks of the GPU(s) 708 (e.g., to free up more cycles of the GPU(s) 708 for performing other tasks). As an example, the accelerator(s) 714 may be used for targeted workloads (e.g., perception, convolutional neural networks (CNNs), etc.) that are stable enough to be amenable to acceleration. The term “CNN,” as used herein, may include all types of CNNs, including region-based or regional convolutional neural networks (RCNNs) and Fast RCNNs (e.g., as used for object detection).

The accelerator(s) 714 (e.g., the hardware acceleration cluster) may include a deep learning accelerator(s) (DLA). The DLA(s) may include one or more Tensor processing units (TPUs) that may be configured to provide an additional ten trillion operations per second for deep learning applications and inferencing. The TPUs may be accelerators configured to, and optimized for, performing image processing functions (e.g., for CNNs, RCNNs, etc.). The DLA(s) may further be optimized for a specific set of neural network types and floating point operations, as well as inferencing. The design of the DLA(s) may provide more performance per millimeter than a general-purpose GPU, and vastly exceeds the performance of a CPU. The TPU(s) may perform several functions, including a single-instance convolution function, supporting, for example, INT8, INT16, and FP16 data types for both features and weights, as well as post-processor functions.

The DLA(s) may quickly and efficiently execute neural networks, especially CNNs, on processed or unprocessed data for any of a variety of functions, including, for example and without limitation: a CNN for object identification and detection using data from camera sensors; a CNN for distance estimation using data from camera sensors; a CNN for emergency vehicle detection and identification and detection using data from microphones; a CNN for facial recognition and vehicle owner identification using data from camera sensors; and/or a CNN for security and/or safety related events.

The DLA(s) may perform any function of the GPU(s) 708, and by using an inference accelerator, for example, a designer may target either the DLA(s) or the GPU(s) 708 for any function. For example, the designer may focus processing of CNNs and floating point operations on the DLA(s) and leave other functions to the GPU(s) 708 and/or other accelerator(s) 714.

The accelerator(s) 714 (e.g., the hardware acceleration cluster) may include a programmable vision accelerator(s) (PVA), which may alternatively be referred to herein as a computer vision accelerator. The PVA(s) may be designed and configured to accelerate computer vision algorithms for the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving, and/or augmented reality (AR) and/or virtual reality (VR) applications. The PVA(s) may provide a balance between performance and flexibility. For example, each PVA(s) may include, for example and without limitation, any number of reduced instruction set computer (RISC) cores, direct memory access (DMA), and/or any number of vector processors.

The RISC cores may interact with image sensors (e.g., the image sensors of any of the cameras described herein), image signal processor(s), and/or the like. Each of the RISC cores may include any amount of memory. The RISC cores may use any of a number of protocols, depending on the embodiment. In some examples, the RISC cores may execute a real-time operating system (RTOS). The RISC cores may be implemented using one or more integrated circuit devices, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and/or memory devices. For example, the RISC cores may include an instruction cache and/or a tightly coupled RAM.

The DMA may enable components of the PVA(s) to access the system memory independently of the CPU(s) 706. The DMA may support any number of features used to provide optimization to the PVA including, but not limited to, supporting multi-dimensional addressing and/or circular addressing. In some examples, the DMA may support up to six or more dimensions of addressing, which may include block width, block height, block depth, horizontal block stepping, vertical block stepping, and/or depth stepping.

The vector processors may be programmable processors that may be designed to efficiently and flexibly execute programming for computer vision algorithms and provide signal processing capabilities. In some examples, the PVA may include a PVA core and two vector processing subsystem partitions. The PVA core may include a processor subsystem, DMA engine(s) (e.g., two DMA engines), and/or other peripherals. The vector processing subsystem may operate as the primary processing engine of the PVA, and may include a vector processing unit (VPU), an instruction cache, and/or vector memory (e.g., VMEM). A VPU core may include a digital signal processor such as, for example, a single instruction, multiple data (SIMD), very long instruction word (VLIW) digital signal processor. The combination of the SIMD and VLIW may enhance throughput and speed.

Each of the vector processors may include an instruction cache and may be coupled to dedicated memory. As a result, in some examples, each of the vector processors may be configured to execute independently of the other vector processors. In other examples, the vector processors that are included in a particular PVA may be configured to employ data parallelism. For example, in some embodiments, the plurality of vector processors included in a single PVA may execute the same computer vision algorithm, but on different regions of an image. In other examples, the vector processors included in a particular PVA may simultaneously execute different computer vision algorithms, on the same image, or even execute different algorithms on sequential images or portions of an image. Among other things, any number of PVAs may be included in the hardware acceleration cluster and any number of vector processors may be included in each of the PVAs. In addition, the PVA(s) may include additional error correcting code (ECC) memory, to enhance overall system safety.

The accelerator(s) 714 (e.g., the hardware acceleration cluster) may include a computer vision network on-chip and SRAM, for providing a high-bandwidth, low latency SRAM for the accelerator(s) 714. In some examples, the on-chip memory may include at least 4 MB SRAM, consisting of, for example and without limitation, eight field-configurable memory blocks, that may be accessible by both the PVA and the DLA. Each pair of memory blocks may include an advanced peripheral bus (APB) interface, configuration circuitry, a controller, and a multiplexer. Any type of memory may be used. The PVA and DLA may access the memory via a backbone that provides the PVA and DLA with high-speed access to memory. The backbone may include a computer vision network on-chip that interconnects the PVA and the DLA to the memory (e.g., using the APB).

The computer vision network on-chip may include an interface that determines, before transmission of any control signal/address/data, that both the PVA and the DLA provide ready and valid signals. Such an interface may provide for separate phases and separate channels for transmitting control signals/addresses/data, as well as burst-type communications for continuous data transfer. This type of interface may comply with ISO 26262 or IEC 61508 standards, although other standards and protocols may be used.

In some examples, the SoC(s) 704 may include a real-time ray-tracing hardware accelerator, such as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/101,232, filed on Aug. 10, 2018. The real-time ray-tracing hardware accelerator may be used to quickly and efficiently determine the positions and extents of objects (e.g., within a world model), to generate real-time visualization simulations, for RADAR signal interpretation, for sound propagation synthesis and/or analysis, for simulation of SONAR systems, for general wave propagation simulation, for comparison to LiDAR data for purposes of localization and/or other functions, and/or for other uses. In some embodiments, one or more tree traversal units (TTUs) may be used for executing one or more ray-tracing related operations.

The accelerator(s) 714 (e.g., the hardware accelerator cluster) have a wide array of uses for autonomous driving. The PVA may be a programmable vision accelerator that may be used for key processing stages in ADAS and autonomous vehicles. The PVA's capabilities are a good match for algorithmic domains needing predictable processing, at low power and low latency. In other words, the PVA performs well on semi-dense or dense regular computation, even on small data sets, which need predictable run-times with low latency and low power. Thus, in the context of platforms for autonomous vehicles, the PVAs are designed to run classic computer vision algorithms, as they are efficient at object detection and operating on integer math.

For example, according to one embodiment of the technology, the PVA is used to perform computer stereo vision. A semi-global matching-based algorithm may be used in some examples, although this is not intended to be limiting. Many applications for Level 3-5 autonomous driving require motion estimation/stereo matching on-the-fly (e.g., structure from motion, pedestrian recognition, lane detection, etc.). The PVA may perform computer stereo vision function on inputs from two monocular cameras.

In some examples, the PVA may be used to perform dense optical flow. According to process raw RADAR data (e.g., using a 4D Fast Fourier Transform) to provide Processed RADAR. In other examples, the PVA is used for time of flight depth processing, by processing raw time of flight data to provide processed time of flight data, for example.

The DLA may be used to run any type of network to enhance control and driving safety, including for example, a neural network that outputs a measure of confidence for each object detection. Such a confidence value may be interpreted as a probability, or as providing a relative “weight” of each detection compared to other detections. This confidence value enables the system to make further decisions regarding which detections should be considered as true positive detections rather than false positive detections. For example, the system may set a threshold value for the confidence and consider only the detections exceeding the threshold value as true positive detections. In an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, false positive detections would cause the vehicle to automatically perform emergency braking, which is obviously undesirable. Therefore, only the most confident detections should be considered as triggers for AEB. The DLA may run a neural network for regressing the confidence value. The neural network may take as its input at least some subset of parameters, such as bounding box dimensions, ground plane estimate obtained (e.g. from another subsystem), inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor 766 output that correlates with the vehicle 700 orientation, distance, 3D location estimates of the object obtained from the neural network and/or other sensors (e.g., LiDAR sensor(s) 764 or RADAR sensor(s) 760), among others.

The SoC(s) 704 may include data store(s) 716 (e.g., memory). The data store(s) 716 may be on-chip memory of the SoC(s) 704, which may store neural networks to be executed on the GPU and/or the DLA. In some examples, the data store(s) 716 may be large enough in capacity to store multiple instances of neural networks for redundancy and safety. The data store(s) 712 may comprise L2 or L3 cache(s) 712. Reference to the data store(s) 716 may include reference to the memory associated with the PVA, DLA, and/or other accelerator(s) 714, as described herein.

The SoC(s) 704 may include one or more processor(s) 710 (e.g., embedded processors). The processor(s) 710 may include a boot and power management processor that may be a dedicated processor and subsystem to handle boot power and management functions and related security enforcement. The boot and power management processor may be a part of the SoC(s) 704 boot sequence and may provide runtime power management services. The boot power and management processor may provide clock and voltage programming, assistance in system low power state transitions, management of SoC(s) 704 thermals and temperature sensors, and/or management of the SoC(s) 704 power states. Each temperature sensor may be implemented as a ring-oscillator whose output frequency is proportional to temperature, and the SoC(s) 704 may use the ring-oscillators to detect temperatures of the CPU(s) 706, GPU(s) 708, and/or accelerator(s) 714. If temperatures are determined to exceed a threshold, the boot and power management processor may enter a temperature fault routine and put the SoC(s) 704 into a lower power state and/or put the vehicle 700 into a chauffeur to safe stop mode (e.g., bring the vehicle 700 to a safe stop).

The processor(s) 710 may further include a set of embedded processors that may serve as an audio processing engine. The audio processing engine may be an audio subsystem that enables full hardware support for multi-channel audio over multiple interfaces, and a broad and flexible range of audio I/O interfaces. In some examples, the audio processing engine is a dedicated processor core with a digital signal processor with dedicated RAM.

The processor(s) 710 may further include an always on processor engine that may provide necessary hardware features to support low power sensor management and wake use cases. The always on processor engine may include a processor core, a tightly coupled RAM, supporting peripherals (e.g., timers and interrupt controllers), various I/O controller peripherals, and routing logic.

The processor(s) 710 may further include a safety cluster engine that includes a dedicated processor subsystem to handle safety management for automotive applications. The safety cluster engine may include two or more processor cores, a tightly coupled RAM, support peripherals (e.g., timers, an interrupt controller, etc.), and/or routing logic. In a safety mode, the two or more cores may operate in a lockstep mode and function as a single core with comparison logic to detect any differences between their operations.

The processor(s) 710 may further include a real-time camera engine that may include a dedicated processor subsystem for handling real-time camera management.

The processor(s) 710 may further include a high-dynamic range signal processor that may include an image signal processor that is a hardware engine that is part of the camera processing pipeline.

The processor(s) 710 may include a video image compositor that may be a processing block (e.g., implemented on a microprocessor) that implements video post-processing functions needed by a video playback application to produce the final image for the player window. The video image compositor may perform lens distortion correction on wide-view camera(s) 770, surround camera(s) 774, and/or on in-cabin monitoring camera sensors. In-cabin monitoring camera sensor is preferably monitored by a neural network running on another instance of the Advanced SoC, configured to identify in cabin events and respond accordingly. An in-cabin system may perform lip reading to activate cellular service and place a phone call, dictate emails, change the vehicle's destination, activate or change the vehicle's infotainment system and settings, or provide voice-activated web surfing. Certain functions are available to the driver only when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode, and are disabled otherwise.

The video image compositor may include enhanced temporal noise reduction for both spatial and temporal noise reduction. For example, where motion occurs in a video, the noise reduction weights spatial information appropriately, decreasing the weight of information provided by adjacent frames. Where an image or portion of an image does not include motion, the temporal noise reduction performed by the video image compositor may use information from the previous image to reduce noise in the current image.

The video image compositor may also be configured to perform stereo rectification on input stereo lens frames. The video image compositor may further be used for user interface composition when the operating system desktop is in use, and the GPU(s) 708 is not required to continuously render new surfaces. Even when the GPU(s) 708 is powered on and active doing 3D rendering, the video image compositor may be used to offload the GPU(s) 708 to improve performance and responsiveness.

The SoC(s) 704 may further include a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) camera serial interface for receiving video and input from cameras, a high-speed interface, and/or a video input block that may be used for camera and related pixel input functions. The SoC(s) 704 may further include an input/output controller(s) that may be controlled by software and may be used for receiving I/O signals that are uncommitted to a specific role.

The SoC(s) 704 may further include a broad range of peripheral interfaces to enable communication with peripherals, audio codecs, power management, and/or other devices. The SoC(s) 704 may be used to process data from cameras (e.g., connected over Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link and Ethernet), sensors (e.g., LiDAR sensor(s) 764, RADAR sensor(s) 760, etc. that may be connected over Ethernet), data from bus 702 (e.g., speed of vehicle 700, steering wheel position, etc.), data from GNSS sensor(s) 758 (e.g., connected over Ethernet or CAN bus). The SoC(s) 704 may further include dedicated high-performance mass storage controllers that may include their own DMA engines, and that may be used to free the CPU(s) 706 from routine data management tasks.

The SoC(s) 704 may be an end-to-end platform with a flexible architecture that spans automation levels 3-5, thereby providing a comprehensive functional safety architecture that leverages and makes efficient use of computer vision and ADAS techniques for diversity and redundancy, provides a platform for a flexible, reliable driving software stack, along with deep learning tools. The SoC(s) 704 may be faster, more reliable, and even more energy-efficient and space-efficient than conventional systems. For example, the accelerator(s) 714, when combined with the CPU(s) 706, the GPU(s) 708, and the data store(s) 716, may provide for a fast, efficient platform for level 3-5 autonomous vehicles.

The technology thus provides capabilities and functionality that cannot be achieved by conventional systems. For example, computer vision algorithms may be executed on CPUs, which may be configured using high-level programming language, such as the C programming language, to execute a wide variety of processing algorithms across a wide variety of visual data. However, CPUs are oftentimes unable to meet the performance requirements of many computer vision applications, such as those related to execution time and power consumption, for example. In particular, many CPUs are unable to execute complex object detection algorithms in real-time, which is a requirement of in-vehicle ADAS applications, and a requirement for practical Level 3-5 autonomous vehicles.

In contrast to conventional systems, by providing a CPU complex, GPU complex, and a hardware acceleration cluster, the technology described herein allows for multiple neural networks to be performed simultaneously and/or sequentially, and for the results to be combined together to enable Level 3-5 autonomous driving functionality. For example, a CNN executing on the DLA or dGPU (e.g., the GPU(s) 720) may include a text and word recognition, allowing the supercomputer to read and understand traffic signs, including signs for which the neural network has not been specifically trained. The DLA may further include a neural network that is able to identify, interpret, and provides semantic understanding of the sign, and to pass that semantic understanding to the path planning modules running on the CPU Complex.

As another example, multiple neural networks may be run simultaneously, as is required for Level 3, 4, or 5 driving. For example, a warning sign consisting of “Caution: flashing lights indicate icy conditions,” along with an electric light, may be independently or collectively interpreted by several neural networks. The sign itself may be identified as a traffic sign by a first deployed neural network (e.g., a neural network that has been trained), the text “Flashing lights indicate icy conditions” may be interpreted by a second deployed neural network, which informs the vehicle's path planning software (preferably executing on the CPU Complex) that when flashing lights are detected, icy conditions exist. The flashing light may be identified by operating a third deployed neural network over multiple frames, informing the vehicle's path-planning software of the presence (or absence) of flashing lights. All three neural networks may run simultaneously, such as within the DLA and/or on the GPU(s) 708.

In some examples, a CNN for facial recognition and vehicle owner identification may use data from camera sensors to identify the presence of an authorized driver and/or owner of the vehicle 700. The always on sensor processing engine may be used to unlock the vehicle when the owner approaches the driver door and turn on the lights, and, in security mode, to disable the vehicle when the owner leaves the vehicle. In this way, the SoC(s) 704 provide for security against theft and/or carjacking.

In another example, a CNN for emergency vehicle detection and identification may use data from microphones 796 to detect and identify emergency vehicle sirens. In contrast to conventional systems, that use general classifiers to detect sirens and manually extract features, the SoC(s) 704 use the CNN for classifying environmental and urban sounds, as well as classifying visual data. In a preferred embodiment, the CNN running on the DLA is trained to identify the relative closing speed of the emergency vehicle (e.g., by using the Doppler Effect). The CNN may also be trained to identify emergency vehicles specific to the local area in which the vehicle is operating, as identified by GNSS sensor(s) 758. Thus, for example, when operating in Europe the CNN will seek to detect European sirens, and when in the United States the CNN will seek to identify only North American sirens. Once an emergency vehicle is detected, a control program may be used to execute an emergency vehicle safety routine, slowing the vehicle, pulling over to the side of the road, parking the vehicle, and/or idling the vehicle, with the assistance of ultrasonic sensors 762, until the emergency vehicle(s) passes.

The vehicle may include a CPU(s) 718 (e.g., discrete CPU(s), or dCPU(s)), that may be coupled to the SoC(s) 704 via a high-speed interconnect (e.g., PCIe). The CPU(s) 718 may include an X86 processor, for example. The CPU(s) 718 may be used to perform any of a variety of functions, including arbitrating potentially inconsistent results between ADAS sensors and the SoC(s) 704, and/or monitoring the status and health of the controller(s) 736 and/or infotainment SoC 730, for example.

The vehicle 700 may include a GPU(s) 720 (e.g., discrete GPU(s), or dGPU(s)), that may be coupled to the SoC(s) 704 via a high-speed interconnect (e.g., NVIDIA's NVLINK). The GPU(s) 720 may provide additional artificial intelligence functionality, such as by executing redundant and/or different neural networks, and may be used to train and/or update neural networks based on input (e.g., sensor data) from sensors of the vehicle 700.

The vehicle 700 may further include the network interface 724 which may include one or more wireless antennas 726 (e.g., one or more wireless antennas for different communication protocols, such as a cellular antenna, a Bluetooth antenna, etc.). The network interface 724 may be used to enable wireless connectivity over the Internet with the cloud (e.g., with the server(s) 778 and/or other network devices), with other vehicles, and/or with computing devices (e.g., client devices of passengers). To communicate with other vehicles, a direct link may be established between the two vehicles and/or an indirect link may be established (e.g., across networks and over the Internet). Direct links may be provided using a vehicle-to-vehicle communication link. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication link may provide the vehicle 700 information about vehicles in proximity to the vehicle 700 (e.g., vehicles in front of, on the side of, and/or behind the vehicle 700). This functionality may be part of a cooperative adaptive cruise control functionality of the vehicle 700.

The network interface 724 may include a SoC that provides modulation and demodulation functionality and enables the controller(s) 736 to communicate over wireless networks. The network interface 724 may include a radio frequency front-end for up-conversion from baseband to radio frequency, and down conversion from radio frequency to baseband. The frequency conversions may be performed through well-known processes, and/or may be performed using super-heterodyne processes. In some examples, the radio frequency front end functionality may be provided by a separate chip. The network interface may include wireless functionality for communicating over LTE, WCDMA, UMTS, GSM, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, ZigBee, LoRaWAN, and/or other wireless protocols.

The vehicle 700 may further include data store(s) 728 which may include off-chip (e.g., off the SoC(s) 704) storage. The data store(s) 728 may include one or more storage elements including RAM, SRAM, DRAM, VRAM, Flash, hard disks, and/or other components and/or devices that may store at least one bit of data.

The vehicle 700 may further include GNSS sensor(s) 758. The GNSS sensor(s) 758 (e.g., GPS, assisted GPS sensors, differential GPS (DGPS) sensors, etc.), to assist in mapping, perception, occupancy grid generation, and/or path planning functions. Any number of GNSS sensor(s) 758 may be used, including, for example and without limitation, a GPS using a USB connector with an Ethernet to Serial (RS-232) bridge.

The vehicle 700 may further include RADAR sensor(s) 760. The RADAR sensor(s) 760 may be used by the vehicle 700 for long-range vehicle detection, even in darkness and/or severe weather conditions. RADAR functional safety levels may be ASIL B. The RADAR sensor(s) 760 may use the CAN and/or the bus 702 (e.g., to transmit data generated by the RADAR sensor(s) 760) for control and to access object tracking data, with access to Ethernet to access raw data in some examples. A wide variety of RADAR sensor types may be used. For example, and without limitation, the RADAR sensor(s) 760 may be suitable for front, rear, and side RADAR use. In some example, Pulse Doppler RADAR sensor(s) are used.

The RADAR sensor(s) 760 may include different configurations, such as long range with narrow field of view, short range with wide field of view, short range side coverage, etc. In some examples, long-range RADAR may be used for adaptive cruise control functionality. The long-range RADAR systems may provide a broad field of view realized by two or more independent scans, such as within a 250 m range. The RADAR sensor(s) 760 may help in distinguishing between static and moving objects, and may be used by ADAS systems for emergency brake assist and forward collision warning. Long-range RADAR sensors may include monostatic multimodal RADAR with multiple (e.g., six or more) fixed RADAR antennae and a high-speed CAN and FlexRay interface. In an example with six antennae, the central four antennae may create a focused beam pattern, designed to record the vehicle's 700 surroundings at higher speeds with minimal interference from traffic in adjacent lanes. The other two antennae may expand the field of view, making it possible to quickly detect vehicles entering or leaving the vehicle's 700 lane.

Mid-range RADAR systems may include, as an example, a range of up to 760 m (front) or 80 m (rear), and a field of view of up to 42 degrees (front) or 750 degrees (rear). Short-range RADAR systems may include, without limitation, RADAR sensors designed to be installed at both ends of the rear bumper. When installed at both ends of the rear bumper, such a RADAR sensor systems may create two beams that constantly monitor the blind spot in the rear and next to the vehicle.

Short-range RADAR systems may be used in an ADAS system for blind spot detection and/or lane change assist.

The vehicle 700 may further include ultrasonic sensor(s) 762. The ultrasonic sensor(s) 762, which may be positioned at the front, back, and/or the sides of the vehicle 700, may be used for park assist and/or to create and update an occupancy grid. A wide variety of ultrasonic sensor(s) 762 may be used, and different ultrasonic sensor(s) 762 may be used for different ranges of detection (e.g., 2.5 m, 4 m). The ultrasonic sensor(s) 762 may operate at functional safety levels of ASIL B.

The vehicle 700 may include LiDAR sensor(s) 764. The LiDAR sensor(s) 764 may be used for object and pedestrian detection, emergency braking, collision avoidance, and/or other functions. The LiDAR sensor(s) 764 may be functional safety level ASIL B. In some examples, the vehicle 700 may include multiple LiDAR sensors 764 (e.g., two, four, six, etc.) that may use Ethernet (e.g., to provide data to a Gigabit Ethernet switch).

In some examples, the LiDAR sensor(s) 764 may be capable of providing a list of objects and their distances for a 360-degree field of view. Commercially available LiDAR sensor(s) 764 may have an advertised range of approximately 700 m, with an accuracy of 2 cm-3 cm, and with support for a 700 Mbps Ethernet connection, for example. In some examples, one or more non-protruding LiDAR sensors 764 may be used. In such examples, the LiDAR sensor(s) 764 may be implemented as a small device that may be embedded into the front, rear, sides, and/or corners of the vehicle 700. The LiDAR sensor(s) 764, in such examples, may provide up to a 120-degree horizontal and 35-degree vertical field-of-view, with a 200 m range even for low-reflectivity objects. Front-mounted LiDAR sensor(s) 764 may be configured for a horizontal field of view between 45 degrees and 135 degrees.

In some examples, LiDAR technologies, such as 3D flash LiDAR, may also be used. 3D Flash LiDAR uses a flash of a laser as a transmission source, to illuminate vehicle surroundings up to approximately 200 m. A flash LiDAR unit includes a receptor, which records the laser pulse transit time and the reflected light on each pixel, which in turn corresponds to the range from the vehicle to the objects. Flash LiDAR may allow for highly accurate and distortion-free images of the surroundings to be generated with every laser flash. In some examples, four flash LiDAR sensors may be deployed, one at each side of the vehicle 700. Available 3D flash LiDAR systems include a solid-state 3D staring array LiDAR camera with no moving parts other than a fan (e.g., a non-scanning LiDAR device). The flash LiDAR device may use a 5 nanosecond class I (eye-safe) laser pulse per frame and may capture the reflected laser light in the form of 3D range point clouds and co-registered intensity data. By using flash LiDAR, and because flash LiDAR is a solid-state device with no moving parts, the LiDAR sensor(s) 764 may be less susceptible to motion blur, vibration, and/or shock.

The vehicle may further include IMU sensor(s) 766. The IMU sensor(s) 766 may be located at a center of the rear axle of the vehicle 700, in some examples. The IMU sensor(s) 766 may include, for example and without limitation, an accelerometer(s), a magnetometer(s), a gyroscope(s), a magnetic compass(es), and/or other sensor types. In some examples, such as in six-axis applications, the IMU sensor(s) 766 may include accelerometers and gyroscopes, while in nine-axis applications, the IMU sensor(s) 766 may include accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers.

In some embodiments, the IMU sensor(s) 766 may be implemented as a miniature, high performance GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) that combines micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) inertial sensors, a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, and advanced Kalman filtering algorithms to provide estimates of position, velocity, and attitude. As such, in some examples, the IMU sensor(s) 766 may enable the vehicle 700 to estimate heading without requiring input from a magnetic sensor by directly observing and correlating the changes in velocity from GPS to the IMU sensor(s) 766. In some examples, the IMU sensor(s) 766 and the GNSS sensor(s) 758 may be combined in a single integrated unit.

The vehicle may include microphone(s) 796 placed in and/or around the vehicle 700. The microphone(s) 796 may be used for emergency vehicle detection and identification, among other things.

The vehicle may further include any number of camera types, including stereo camera(s) 768, wide-view camera(s) 770, infrared camera(s) 772, surround camera(s) 774, long-range and/or mid-range camera(s) 798, and/or other camera types. The cameras may be used to capture image data around an entire periphery of the vehicle 700. The types of cameras used depends on the embodiments and requirements for the vehicle 700, and any combination of camera types may be used to provide the necessary coverage around the vehicle 700. In addition, the number of cameras may differ depending on the embodiment. For example, the vehicle may include six cameras, seven cameras, ten cameras, twelve cameras, and/or another number of cameras. The cameras may support, as an example and without limitation, Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link (GMSL) and/or Gigabit Ethernet. Each of the camera(s) is described with more detail herein with respect to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B.

The vehicle 700 may further include vibration sensor(s) 742. The vibration sensor(s) 742 may measure vibrations of components of the vehicle, such as the axle(s). For example, changes in vibrations may indicate a change in road surfaces. In another example, when two or more vibration sensors 742 are used, the differences between the vibrations may be used to determine friction or slippage of the road surface (e.g., when the difference in vibration is between a power-driven axle and a freely rotating axle).

The vehicle 700 may include an ADAS system 738. The ADAS system 738 may include a SoC, in some examples. The ADAS system 738 may include autonomous/adaptive/automatic cruise control (ACC), cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC), forward crash warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warnings (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA), blind spot warning (BSW), rear cross-traffic warning (RCTW), collision warning systems (CWS), lane centering (LC), and/or other features and functionality.

The ACC systems may use RADAR sensor(s) 760, LiDAR sensor(s) 764, and/or a camera(s). The ACC systems may include longitudinal ACC and/or lateral ACC. Longitudinal ACC monitors and controls the distance to the vehicle immediately ahead of the vehicle 700 and automatically adjust the vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead. Lateral ACC performs distance keeping, and advises the vehicle 700 to change lanes when necessary. Lateral ACC is related to other ADAS applications such as LCA and CWS.

CACC uses information from other vehicles that may be received via the network interface 724 and/or the wireless antenna(s) 726 from other vehicles via a wireless link, or indirectly, over a network connection (e.g., over the Internet). Direct links may be provided by a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication link, while indirect links may be infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication link. In general, the V2V communication concept provides information about the immediately preceding vehicles (e.g., vehicles immediately ahead of and in the same lane as the vehicle 700), while the 12V communication concept provides information about traffic further ahead. CACC systems may include either or both I2V and V2V information sources. Given the information of the vehicles ahead of the vehicle 700, CACC may be more reliable and it has potential to improve traffic flow smoothness and reduce congestion on the road.

FCW systems are designed to alert the driver to a hazard, so that the driver may take corrective action. FCW systems use a front-facing camera and/or RADAR sensor(s) 760, coupled to a dedicated processor, DSP, FPGA, and/or ASIC, that is electrically coupled to driver feedback, such as a display, speaker, and/or vibrating component. FCW systems may provide a warning, such as in the form of a sound, visual warning, vibration and/or a quick brake pulse.

AEB systems detect an impending forward collision with another vehicle or other object, and may automatically apply the brakes if the driver does not take corrective action within a specified time or distance parameter. AEB systems may use front-facing camera(s) and/or RADAR sensor(s) 760, coupled to a dedicated processor, DSP, FPGA, and/or ASIC. When the AEB system detects a hazard, it typically first alerts the driver to take corrective action to avoid the collision and, if the driver does not take corrective action, the AEB system may automatically apply the brakes in an effort to prevent, or at least mitigate, the impact of the predicted collision. AEB systems, may include techniques such as dynamic brake support and/or crash imminent braking.

LDW systems provide visual, audible, and/or tactile warnings, such as steering wheel or seat vibrations, to alert the driver when the vehicle 700 crosses lane markings. A LDW system does not activate when the driver indicates an intentional lane departure, by activating a turn signal. LDW systems may use front-side facing cameras, coupled to a dedicated processor, DSP, FPGA, and/or ASIC, that is electrically coupled to driver feedback, such as a display, speaker, and/or vibrating component.

LKA systems are a variation of LDW systems. LKA systems provide steering input or braking to correct the vehicle 700 if the vehicle 700 starts to exit the lane.

BSW systems detects and warn the driver of vehicles in an automobile's blind spot. BSW systems may provide a visual, audible, and/or tactile alert to indicate that merging or changing lanes is unsafe. The system may provide an additional warning when the driver uses a turn signal. BSW systems may use rear-side facing camera(s) and/or RADAR sensor(s) 760, coupled to a dedicated processor, DSP, FPGA, and/or ASIC, that is electrically coupled to driver feedback, such as a display, speaker, and/or vibrating component.

RCTW systems may provide visual, audible, and/or tactile notification when an object is detected outside the rear-camera range when the vehicle 700 is backing up. Some RCTW systems include AEB to ensure that the vehicle brakes are applied to avoid a crash. RCTW systems may use one or more rear-facing RADAR sensor(s) 760, coupled to a dedicated processor, DSP, FPGA, and/or ASIC, that is electrically coupled to driver feedback, such as a display, speaker, and/or vibrating component.

Conventional ADAS systems may be prone to false positive results which may be annoying and distracting to a driver, but typically are not catastrophic, because the ADAS systems alert the driver and allow the driver to decide whether a safety condition truly exists and act accordingly. However, in an autonomous vehicle 700, the vehicle 700 itself must, in the case of conflicting results, decide whether to heed the result from a primary computer or a secondary computer (e.g., a first controller 736 or a second controller 736). For example, in some embodiments, the ADAS system 738 may be a backup and/or secondary computer for providing perception information to a backup computer rationality module. The backup computer rationality monitor may run a redundant diverse software on hardware components to detect faults in perception and dynamic driving tasks. Outputs from the ADAS system 738 may be provided to a supervisory MCU. If outputs from the primary computer and the secondary computer conflict, the supervisory MCU must determine how to reconcile the conflict to ensure safe operation.

In some examples, the primary computer may be configured to provide the supervisory MCU with a confidence score, indicating the primary computer's confidence in the chosen result. If the confidence score exceeds a threshold, the supervisory MCU may follow the primary computer's direction, regardless of whether the secondary computer provides a conflicting or inconsistent result. Where the confidence score does not meet the threshold, and where the primary and secondary computer indicate different results (e.g., the conflict), the supervisory MCU may arbitrate between the computers to determine the appropriate outcome.

The supervisory MCU may be configured to run a neural network(s) that is trained and configured to determine, based on outputs from the primary computer and the secondary computer, conditions under which the secondary computer provides false alarms. Thus, the neural network(s) in the supervisory MCU may learn when the secondary computer's output may be trusted, and when it cannot. For example, when the secondary computer is a RADAR-based FCW system, a neural network(s) in the supervisory MCU may learn when the FCW system is identifying metallic objects that are not, in fact, hazards, such as a drainage grate or manhole cover that triggers an alarm. Similarly, when the secondary computer is a camera-based LDW system, a neural network in the supervisory MCU may learn to override the LDW when bicyclists or pedestrians are present and a lane departure is, in fact, the safest maneuver. In embodiments that include a neural network(s) running on the supervisory MCU, the supervisory MCU may include at least one of a DLA or GPU suitable for running the neural network(s) with associated memory. In preferred embodiments, the supervisory MCU may comprise and/or be included as a component of the SoC(s) 704.

In other examples, ADAS system 738 may include a secondary computer that performs ADAS functionality using traditional rules of computer vision. As such, the secondary computer may use classic computer vision rules (if-then), and the presence of a neural network(s) in the supervisory MCU may improve reliability, safety and performance. For example, the diverse implementation and intentional non-identity makes the overall system more fault-tolerant, especially to faults caused by software (or software-hardware interface) functionality. For example, if there is a software bug or error in the software running on the primary computer, and the non-identical software code running on the secondary computer provides the same overall result, the supervisory MCU may have greater confidence that the overall result is correct, and the bug in software or hardware on primary computer is not causing material error.

In some examples, the output of the ADAS system 738 may be fed into the primary computer's perception block and/or the primary computer's dynamic driving task block. For example, if the ADAS system 738 indicates a forward crash warning due to an object immediately ahead, the perception block may use this information when identifying objects. In other examples, the secondary computer may have its own neural network which is trained and thus reduces the risk of false positives, as described herein.

The vehicle 700 may further include the infotainment SoC 730 (e.g., an in-vehicle infotainment system (IVI)). Although illustrated and described as a SoC, the infotainment system may not be a SoC, and may include two or more discrete components. The infotainment SoC 730 may include a combination of hardware and software that may be used to provide audio (e.g., music, a personal digital assistant, navigational instructions, news, radio, etc.), video (e.g., TV, movies, streaming, etc.), phone (e.g., hands-free calling), network connectivity (e.g., LTE, Wi-Fi, etc.), and/or information services (e.g., navigation systems, rear-parking assistance, a radio data system, vehicle related information such as fuel level, total distance covered, brake fuel level, oil level, door open/close, air filter information, etc.) to the vehicle 700. For example, the infotainment SoC 730 may radios, disk players, navigation systems, video players, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, carputers, in-car entertainment, Wi-Fi, steering wheel audio controls, hands free voice control, a heads-up display (HUD), an HMI display 734, a telematics device, a control panel (e.g., for controlling and/or interacting with various components, features, and/or systems), and/or other components. The infotainment SoC 730 may further be used to provide information (e.g., visual and/or audible) to a user(s) of the vehicle, such as information from the ADAS system 738, autonomous driving information such as planned vehicle maneuvers, trajectories, surrounding environment information (e.g., intersection information, vehicle information, road information, etc.), and/or other information.

The infotainment SoC 730 may include GPU functionality. The infotainment SoC 730 may communicate over the bus 702 (e.g., CAN bus, Ethernet, etc.) with other devices, systems, and/or components of the vehicle 700. In some examples, the infotainment SoC 730 may be coupled to a supervisory MCU such that the GPU of the infotainment system may perform some self-driving functions in the event that the primary controller(s) 736 (e.g., the primary and/or backup computers of the vehicle 700) fail. In such an example, the infotainment SoC 730 may put the vehicle 700 into a chauffeur to safe stop mode, as described herein.

The vehicle 700 may further include an instrument cluster 732 (e.g., a digital dash, an electronic instrument cluster, a digital instrument panel, etc.). The instrument cluster 732 may include a controller and/or supercomputer (e.g., a discrete controller or supercomputer). The instrument cluster 732 may include a set of instrumentation such as a speedometer, fuel level, oil pressure, tachometer, odometer, turn indicators, gearshift position indicator, seat belt warning light(s), parking-brake warning light(s), engine-malfunction light(s), airbag (SRS) system information, lighting controls, safety system controls, navigation information, etc. In some examples, information may be displayed and/or shared among the infotainment SoC 730 and the instrument cluster 732. In other words, the instrument cluster 732 may be included as part of the infotainment SoC 730, or vice versa.

FIG. 7D is a system diagram for communication between cloud-based server(s) and the example autonomous vehicle 700 of FIG. 7A, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 776 may include server(s) 778, network(s) 790, and vehicles, including the vehicle 700. The server(s) 778 may include a plurality of GPUs 784(A)-784(H) (collectively referred to herein as GPUs 784), PCIe switches 782(A)-782(H) (collectively referred to herein as PCIe switches 782), and/or CPUs 780(A)-780(B) (collectively referred to herein as CPUs 780). The GPUs 784, the CPUs 780, and the PCIe switches may be interconnected with high-speed interconnects such as, for example and without limitation, NVLink interfaces 788 developed by NVIDIA and/or PCIe connections 786. In some examples, the GPUs 784 are connected via NVLink and/or NVSwitch SoC and the GPUs 784 and the PCIe switches 782 are connected via PCIe interconnects. Although eight GPUs 784, two CPUs 780, and two PCIe switches are illustrated, this is not intended to be limiting. Depending on the embodiment, each of the server(s) 778 may include any number of GPUs 784, CPUs 780, and/or PCIe switches. For example, the server(s) 778 may each include eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and/or more GPUs 784.

The server(s) 778 may receive, over the network(s) 790 and from the vehicles, image data representative of images showing unexpected or changed road conditions, such as recently commenced road-work. The server(s) 778 may transmit, over the network(s) 790 and to the vehicles, neural networks 792, updated neural networks 792, and/or map information 794, including information regarding traffic and road conditions. The updates to the map information 794 may include updates for the HD map 722, such as information regarding construction sites, potholes, detours, flooding, and/or other obstructions. In some examples, the neural networks 792, the updated neural networks 792, and/or the map information 794 may have resulted from new training and/or experiences represented in data received from any number of vehicles in the environment, and/or based on training performed at a datacenter (e.g., using the server(s) 778 and/or other servers).

The server(s) 778 may be used to train machine learning models (e.g., neural networks) based on training data. The training data may be generated by the vehicles, and/or may be generated in a simulation (e.g., using a game engine). In some examples, the training data is tagged (e.g., where the neural network benefits from supervised learning) and/or undergoes other pre-processing, while in other examples the training data is not tagged and/or pre-processed (e.g., where the neural network does not require supervised learning). Training may be executed according to any one or more classes of machine learning techniques, including, without limitation, classes such as: supervised training, semi-supervised training, unsupervised training, self-learning, reinforcement learning, federated learning, transfer learning, feature learning (including principal component and cluster analyses), multi-linear subspace learning, manifold learning, representation learning (including spare dictionary learning), rule-based machine learning, anomaly detection, and any variants or combinations therefor. Once the machine learning models are trained, the machine learning models may be used by the vehicles (e.g., transmitted to the vehicles over the network(s) 790, and/or the machine learning models may be used by the server(s) 778 to remotely monitor the vehicles.

In some examples, the server(s) 778 may receive data from the vehicles and apply the data to up-to-date real-time neural networks for real-time intelligent inferencing. The server(s) 778 may include deep-learning supercomputers and/or dedicated AI computers powered by GPU(s) 784, such as a DGX and DGX Station machines developed by NVIDIA. However, in some examples, the server(s) 778 may include deep learning infrastructure that use only CPU-powered datacenters.

The deep-learning infrastructure of the server(s) 778 may be capable of fast, real-time inferencing, and may use that capability to evaluate and verify the health of the processors, software, and/or associated hardware in the vehicle 700. For example, the deep-learning infrastructure may receive periodic updates from the vehicle 700, such as a sequence of images and/or objects that the vehicle 700 has located in that sequence of images (e.g., via computer vision and/or other machine learning object classification techniques). The deep-learning infrastructure may run its own neural network to identify the objects and compare them with the objects identified by the vehicle 700 and, if the results do not match and the infrastructure concludes that the AI in the vehicle 700 is malfunctioning, the server(s) 778 may transmit a signal to the vehicle 700 instructing a fail-safe computer of the vehicle 700 to assume control, notify the passengers, and complete a safe parking maneuver.

For inferencing, the server(s) 778 may include the GPU(s) 784 and one or more programmable inference accelerators (e.g., NVIDIA's TensorRT). The combination of GPU-powered servers and inference acceleration may make real-time responsiveness possible. In other examples, such as where performance is less critical, servers powered by CPUs, FPGAs, and other processors may be used for inferencing.

The disclosure may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal data assistant or other handheld device. Generally, program modules including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., refer to code that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The disclosure may be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including hand-held devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, etc. The disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote-processing devices that are linked through a communications network.

As used herein, a recitation of “and/or” with respect to two or more elements should be interpreted to mean only one element, or a combination of elements. For example, “element A, element B, and/or element C” may include only element A, only element B, only element C, element A and element B, element A and element C, element B and element C, or elements A, B, and C. In addition, “at least one of element A or element B” may include at least one of element A, at least one of element B, or at least one of element A and at least one of element B. Further, “at least one of element A and element B” may include at least one of element A, at least one of element B, or at least one of element A and at least one of element B.

The subject matter of the present disclosure is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and/or “block” may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.

OBJECT SEGMENTATION USING MACHINE LEARNING FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS

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