Approach for consolidating observed vehicle trajectories into a single representative trajectory

• US 10,012,991 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2016
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ferguson, David I., Zhu, Jiajun
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US15/216,199
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/048 displaying data transmitted between vehicles, e.g. for platooning, control of inter-vehicle distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/408 Traffic behavior, e.g. swarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0011 involving control alternatives for a single driving scenario, e.g. planning several paths to avoid obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/00 Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/00 Steering not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0255 Automatic changing of lane, e.g. for passing another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 : Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 : for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 : for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 : Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 : characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 : with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 : in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 : involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 : using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0287 : involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 : Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 : Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 : Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for controlling the operation of an autonomous vehicle. According to one aspect, the autonomous vehicle may track the trajectories of other vehicles on a road. Based on the other vehicle'"'"'s trajectories, the autonomous vehicle may generate a pool of combined trajectories. Subsequently, the autonomous vehicle may select one of the combined trajectories as a representative trajectory. The representative trajectory may be used to change at least one of the speed or direction of the autonomous vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of automatically controlling a first road vehicle comprising:

obtaining, using one or more processors, a first path for the first road vehicle wherein the first path is based on road geometry stored in memory;

monitoring, using the one or more processors, a second path of a second road vehicle, wherein the second road vehicle is different from the first road vehicle and the second path comprises at least one location in a first lane of a road represented by the road geometry and at least one location in a second lane of the road adjacent to the first lane;

determining, using the one or more processors and based on information received from a sensor affixed to the first road vehicle, the presence of an obstacle in the first path;

determining, using the one or more processors, a third path based on the second path wherein the third path includes at least one location in the first lane and at least one location in the second lane; and

controlling, using the one or more processors, the operation of the first road vehicle based on the third path wherein the first road vehicle moves from the first lane to the second lane.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating map data based on the determination that the obstacle is present in the first path.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the updated map data is transmitted to a third road vehicle located on said road.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the third path is determined such that no location of the third path is within a predetermined distance from the obstacle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a camera.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the presence of the obstacle in the first path comprises detecting a cone in the first path.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring, using the one or more processors, a fourth path of a third road vehicle, wherein the fourth path comprises the path of a third road vehicle different from the first and second road vehicles and comprises at least one location in the first lane and at least one location in the second lane.

8. A method of automatically controlling a road vehicle comprising:

monitoring, using one or more processors, a first path of a first road vehicle, wherein the first path comprises a collection of locations traveled by the first road vehicle, a first location of the first path being in a first lane of a road and a second location of the first path being in a second lane adjacent to the first lane;

monitoring, using the one or more processors, a second path of a second road vehicle, wherein the second path comprises a collection of locations traveled by the second road vehicle, a first location of the second path being in the first lane of the road and a second location of the second path being in the second lane;

determining, using the one or more processors, a third path based on the first path and the second path; and

controlling, using the one or more processors, the operation of a third road vehicle in accordance with the third path.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one location of the third path is between the first location of the first path and the first location of the second path.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one other location of the third path is between the second location of the first path and the second location of the second path.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the third path is based on the quantity of monitored road vehicles.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising monitoring, using the one or more processors, a plurality of paths associated with a plurality of different road vehicles in addition to the first and second road vehicles and wherein the third path is determined based on the plurality of paths.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors, and

memory storing instructions and road geometry, the instructions being executable by the one or more processors,

wherein the instructions comprise;

obtaining a first path for a first road vehicle wherein the first path is based on the road geometry;

monitoring a second path of a second road vehicle different from the first road vehicle;

monitoring a third path of a third road vehicle different from the first and second road vehicles;

determining, based on information received from a sensor affixed to the first road vehicle, whether an object external to the first road vehicle is obstructing the first path;

determining, when the object is determined to be obstructing the first path, a fourth path based on the second path and the third path wherein at least a portion of the fourth path is different from the first path; and

controlling the operation of the first road vehicle based on the fourth path when an object is determined to be obstructing the first path and otherwise controlling the operation of the first road vehicle in accordance with the first path.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the fourth path is determined such that no location of the fourth path is within a predetermined distance from the object.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the sensor is a camera.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one location of the fourth path is between a location of the second path and a location of the third path.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein a first location of the second path is in the same lane as the first road vehicle and a second location of the second path is in an adjacent lane to said same lane before the object is determined to be obstructing the first path.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein a first location of the third path is in said same lane and a second location of the third path is in an adjacent lane to said same lane before the object is determined to be obstructing the first path.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein at least one location of the fourth path is between a first location of the first path and the first location of the second path.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein at least one location of the fourth path is between a second location of the first path and the second location of the second path.