Planning stopping locations for autonomous vehicles

• US 10,202,118 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, Jared Stephen, Dolgov, Dmitri A., Fairfield, Nathaniel, Lindzey, Laura Estelle, Urmson, Christopher Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Rodney A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weber, Tamara L
• Application Number:
  US15/293,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20180105174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/45 Pedestrian sidewalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4044 Direction of movement, e.g. backwards
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/103 Speed profile
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/10 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 Propelling the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00253 Taxi operations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0027 using trajectory prediction for other traffic participants
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3867 Geometry of map features, e.g. shape points, polygons or for simplified maps
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 : where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 : Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to generating a speed plan for an autonomous vehicle. As an example, the vehicle is maneuvered in an autonomous driving mode along a route using pre-stored map information. This information identifies a plurality of keep clear regions where the vehicle should not stop but can drive through in the autonomous driving mode. Each keep clear region of the plurality of keep clear regions is associated with a priority value. A subset of the plurality of keep clear regions is identified based on the route. A speed plan for stopping the vehicle is generated based on the priority values associated with the keep clear regions of the subset. The speed plan identifies a location for stopping the vehicle. The speed plan is used to stop the vehicle in the location.

Claims

1. A method of maneuvering a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the method comprising:

maneuvering, by one or more processors, the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode along a route using pre-stored map information identifying a plurality of keep clear regions where the vehicle should not stop but can drive through in the autonomous driving mode, wherein each keep clear region of the plurality of keep clear regions is associated with a priority value;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a subset of the plurality of keep clear regions based on the route;

generating, by the one or more processors, a speed plan for stopping the vehicle based on the priority values associated with the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, wherein the speed plan identifies a future location for stopping the vehicle prior to a destination of the speed plan without stopping at the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions; and

using, by the one or more processors, the speed plan to stop the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the speed plan includes adjusting a default minimum clearance value for a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, the given keep clear region has a lowest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, and the default minimum clearance value defines an acceptable amount of overlap with the given keep clear region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the speed plan includes adjusting a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, and the given keep clear region has a lowest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed plan avoids stopping within a particular keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, the particular keep clear region is associated with a highest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an active crosswalk and at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an inactive crosswalk, and the active crosswalk is associated with a higher priority value than the inactive crosswalk.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an active crosswalk, at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an intersection, and the active crosswalk is associated with a higher priority value than the intersection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an inactive crosswalk, at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an intersection, and the intersection is associated with a higher priority value than the inactive crosswalk.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an area that crosses a lane of traffic.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to a posted “

keep Clear”

or “

Don'"'"'t Block the Box”

area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of keep clear regions correspond to a railroad crossing.

11. A system for maneuvering a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the system comprising one or more processors configured to:

maneuver the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode along a route using pre-stored map information identifying a plurality of keep clear regions where the vehicle should not stop but can drive through in the autonomous driving mode, wherein each keep clear region of the plurality of keep clear regions is associated with a priority value;

identify a subset of the plurality of keep clear regions based on the route;

generate a speed plan for stopping the vehicle based on the priority values associated with the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, wherein the speed plan identifies a future location for stopping the vehicle prior to a destination of the speed plan without stopping at the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions; and

use the speed plan to stop the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the speed plan includes adjusting a default minimum clearance value for a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, the given keep clear region has a lowest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, and the and default minimum clearance value defines an acceptable amount of overlap with the given keep clear region.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the speed plan includes adjusting a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, and the given keep clear region has a lowest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the speed plan avoids stopping within a particular keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, and the particular keep clear region is associated with a highest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an active crosswalk and at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an inactive crosswalk, and the active crosswalk is associated with a higher priority value than the inactive crosswalk.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an active crosswalk and at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an intersection, and the active crosswalk is associated with a higher priority value than the intersection.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an inactive crosswalk, at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an intersection, and the intersection is associated with a higher priority value than the inactive crosswalk.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising the vehicle.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method of maneuvering a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the method comprising:

maneuvering, by one or more processors, the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode along a route using pre-stored map information identifying a plurality of keep clear regions where the vehicle should not stop but can drive through in the autonomous driving mode, wherein each keep clear region of the plurality of keep clear regions is associated with a priority value;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a subset of the plurality of keep clear regions based on the route;

generating, by the one or more processors, a speed plan for stopping the vehicle based on the priority values associated with the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, wherein the speed plan identifies a future location for stopping the vehicle prior to a destination of the speed plan without stopping at the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions; and

using, by the one or more processors, the speed plan to stop the vehicle.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein determining the speed plan includes adjusting a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, wherein the given keep clear region has a lowest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions.