Suggesting a route based on desired amount of driver interaction

• US 10,036,648 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hobbs, Nicholas Kenneth, Burns, Lawrence, Cullinane, Brian Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Shardul D
• Application Number:
  US15/351,880
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 701 23- 25, 701 36, 701400, 701410, 342455
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/001 Planning or execution of driving tasks
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to generating and providing route options for an autonomous vehicle. For example, a user may identify a destination, and in response the vehicle'"'"'s computer may provide routing options to the user. The routing options may be based on typical navigating considerations such as the total travel time, travel distance, fuel economy, etc. Each routing option may include not only an estimated total time, but also information regarding whether and which portions of the route may be maneuvered under the control of the vehicle alone (fully autonomous), a combination of the vehicle and the driver (semiautonomous), or the driver alone. The time of the longest stretch of driving associated with the autonomous mode as well as map information indicating portions of the routes associated with the type of maneuvering control may also be provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, input including a destination;

generating, by the one or more processors, a set of proposed routes between a current location of a vehicle and a destination based on detailed map information, the set of proposed routes including a first route including a first plurality of route portions, the set of proposed routes including a second route with a second plurality of route portions;

displaying on a display, by the one or more processors, a map including the first route and the second route such that (1) a first route portion of the first plurality of route portions is displayed with a first visual treatment to indicate that the first route portion corresponds to an non-autonomous driving mode of the vehicle and (2) a second route portion of the second plurality of route portions is displayed with a second visual treatment to indicate that the second route portion corresponds to an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle, the first route portion and the second route portions being different;

after displaying on the display, receiving, by the one or more processors, information indicating that the second route has been selected; and

maneuvering, by the one or more processors, the vehicle along the second route portion in the autonomous driving mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a transition location for the second route, the transition location corresponding to a location on the first route where the vehicle will transition between the non-autonomous driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, and

wherein displaying on the display includes displaying an indicator on the map, the indicator representing the transition location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, a second transition location at which the vehicle will transition from the autonomous driving mode to the non-autonomous driving mode, and

wherein displaying on the display includes displaying a second indicator on the map, the second indicator representing the second transition location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a transition location for the second route, the transition location corresponding to a location on the first route where the vehicle will transition between the autonomous driving mode to the non-autonomous driving mode, and

wherein displaying on the display includes displaying an indicator on the map, the indicator representing the transition location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a legend with the map to indicate that the first visual treatment indicates that the first route portion will be maneuvered in the non-autonomous driving mode.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the legend further indicates that the second visual treatment indicates that the second route portion will be maneuvered in the autonomous driving mode.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-autonomous driving mode includes a manual driving mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-autonomous driving mode includes a semiautonomous driving mode.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying with the map a user input option for selecting between the first route and the second route.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining for each of the first route and the second route a longest portion that will be driven in the autonomous driving mode;

using the longest portions to determine a recommended activity for each of the first route and the second route; and

displaying the recommended activities with the map.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors of a vehicle, the one or more processors configured to;

generate a set of proposed routes between a current location of the vehicle and a destination based on detailed map information, the set of proposed routes including a first route including a first plurality of route portions, the set of proposed routes including a second route with a second plurality of route portions;

display a map including the first route and the second route such that (1) a first route portion of the first plurality of route portions is displayed with a first visual treatment to indicate that the first route portion corresponds to an non-autonomous driving mode of the vehicle and (2) a second route portion of the second plurality of route portions is displayed with a second visual treatment to indicate that the second route portion corresponds to an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle, the first route portion being different from the second route portion;

after displaying on the display, receive information indicating that the second route has been selected; and

maneuver the vehicle along the second route portion in the autonomous driving mode.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a transition location for the second route, the transition location corresponding to a location on the first route where the vehicle will transition between the non-autonomous driving mode to the autonomous driving mode, and

wherein displaying on the display includes displaying an indicator on the map, the indicator representing the transition location.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a second transition location at which the vehicle will transition from the autonomous driving mode to the non-autonomous driving mode; and

display a second indicator on the map, the second indicator representing the second transition location.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a transition location for the second route, the transition location corresponding to a location on the first route where the vehicle will transition between the autonomous driving mode to the non-autonomous driving mode; and

display an indicator on the map, the indicator representing the transition location.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display a legend with the map to indicate that the first visual treatment indicates that the first route portion will be maneuvered in the non-autonomous driving mode.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the legend further indicates that the second visual treatment indicates that the second route portion will be maneuvered in the autonomous driving mode.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the non-autonomous driving mode includes a manual driving mode.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the non-autonomous driving mode includes a semiautonomous driving mode.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display with the map a user input option for selecting between the first route and the second route.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display:

determine for each of the first route and the second route a longest portion that will be driven in the autonomous driving mode;

use the longest portions to determine a recommended activity for each of the first route and the second route; and

display the recommended activities with the map.