Autonomous vehicle routing during emergencies
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for automatically routing a vehicle capable of autonomous operation, comprising:
- receiving, at one or more processors, an indication of an emergency condition;
determining, by the one or more processors, a target location to which to route the vehicle, wherein the target location is associated with emergency assistance;
determining, by the one or more processors, a route to the target location, wherein the route includes only road segments meeting a minimum safety rating for fully autonomous vehicle operation, wherein the minimum safety rating of the road segments is associated with a risk level for fully autonomous operation of the vehicle below a risk threshold; and
causing, by the one or more processors, a vehicle control system of the vehicle to operate the vehicle along the determined route to the target location.
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Abstract
Methods and systems for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle routing are disclosed. Roadway suitability for autonomous operation is scored to facilitate use in route determination. Maps of roadways suitable for various levels of autonomous operation may be generated. Such map data may be used by autonomous vehicles or other computer devices in determining routes based upon criteria for vehicle trips. Such routes may be automatically updated based upon changes in road conditions, vehicle conditions, operator conditions, or environmental conditions. Emergency routing using such map data is described, such as automatic routing and travel when a passenger is experiencing a medical emergency.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for automatically routing a vehicle capable of autonomous operation, comprising:
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receiving, at one or more processors, an indication of an emergency condition; determining, by the one or more processors, a target location to which to route the vehicle, wherein the target location is associated with emergency assistance; determining, by the one or more processors, a route to the target location, wherein the route includes only road segments meeting a minimum safety rating for fully autonomous vehicle operation, wherein the minimum safety rating of the road segments is associated with a risk level for fully autonomous operation of the vehicle below a risk threshold; and causing, by the one or more processors, a vehicle control system of the vehicle to operate the vehicle along the determined route to the target location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computer system for automatically routing a vehicle capable of autonomous operation, comprising:
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one or more processors; a map database communicatively connected to the one or more processors and storing map data including one or more suitability scores for each of a plurality of road segments indicating the road segment'"'"'s suitability for autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle operation; and a program memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to; receive an indication of an emergency condition; determine a target location to which to route the vehicle, wherein the target location is associated with emergency assistance; determine a route to the target location using the map data of the map database, wherein the route includes only road segments meeting a minimum safety rating for fully autonomous vehicle operation, wherein the minimum safety rating of the road segments is associated with a risk level for fully autonomous operation of the vehicle below a risk threshold; and cause a vehicle control system of the vehicle to operate the vehicle along the determined route to the target location. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for automatically routing a vehicle capable of autonomous operation that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to:
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receive an indication of an emergency condition; determine a target location to which to route the vehicle, wherein the target location is associated with emergency assistance; determine a route to the target location using map data from a map database storing information regarding a plurality of road segments, wherein the route includes only road segments meeting a minimum safety rating for fully autonomous vehicle operation, wherein the minimum safety rating of the road segments is associated with a risk level for fully autonomous operation of the vehicle below a risk threshold; and cause a vehicle control system of the vehicle to operate the vehicle along the determined route to the target location. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification