Occluded Object Tracking With Uncertainty Updates for Autonomous Driving

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Solution Overview

Problem

Self-driving vehicles face challenges in maintaining object tracking when objects become occluded, which poses a risk to safe navigation and collision prevention.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for tracking objects through occluded regions by defining a map with occlusion areas, detecting objects using sensors, creating and maintaining object tracks within these areas, and updating predicted locations with uncertainty adjustments based on sensor data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the vehicle uses sensors to detect objects, then object detection capability is improved, but objects in occluded regions cannot be detected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveobject detection capabilityVSAvoidobject tracking information in occluded regions

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining object tracks in occluded regions based on predicted locations and uncertainty calculations. When an object enters an occlusion area, the system continues to track it using probabilistic methods and updates the predicted location with uncertainty adjustments, allowing the object to be recovered when it exits the occlusion area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the vehicle maintains tracking of occluded objects, then collision prevention is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision preventionVSAvoidtracking system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes parameters by introducing uncertainty adjustments to predicted locations of occluded objects. The uncertainty is calculated based on the duration of occlusion and object characteristics, allowing the system to maintain simple tracking logic while improving reliability through probabilistic position estimation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If the vehicle updates predicted location with uncertainty adjustments, then object tracking accuracy is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveobject location accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial action by updating uncertainty adjustments selectively based on occlusion duration and object type. Not all occluded objects require full uncertainty calculations, allowing the system to balance accuracy with processing efficiency by focusing computational resources on high-risk scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS12567331B2Systems and methods to manage tracking of objects through occluded regions

Publication Date: 2026.03.03 KODIAK ROBOTICS INC

AI summary

Exemplary embodiments include systems and methods to maintain tracking of an object that passes into an occluded area, including defining a map of a driving area; defining one or more occlusion areas within the map; detecting an object using sensor data from one or more sensors; creating an object track for the object detected using sensor data; determining that the object track entered one of the one or more occlusion areas; and maintaining the object track while the object track remains in the one or more occlusion areas.