Patent 10355365 was granted and assigned to Waymo on July, 2019 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses that enable a radar system to transmit radar signals into lanes on a roadway in which a vehicle may turn. For example, when a car is making a protected right turn, that is a right turn when there is another vehicle traveling in the same direction in a lane adjacent to the lane of the turning vehicle, a traditional radar may have its view of the lane in which it is turning obscured by the vehicle in the lane adjacent to the lane of the turning vehicle. By using radar deflectors strategically located near the front of the vehicle, the radar signals may be deflected at angles to avoid being obstructed by the vehicle in the lane adjacent to the lane of the turning vehicle.