Apparatus and method of determining an optimized route for a highly automated vehicle

• US 10,260,898 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: McNew, John-Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shudy, Angelina
• Application Number:
  US15/208,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20180017398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 701425, 701 23
• 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 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

A navigation apparatus (including configurable circuitry) and method for displaying a plurality of control parameters to carry out a process for generating at least one optimum route for use in navigation of an autonomous vehicle, receiving a plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of control parameters to generate a route score corresponding to the at least one route, transmitting the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights to a server implementing an optimization algorithm to calculate the at least one optimum route using the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights, receiving the at least one optimum route and the route score generated by the server, and displaying the at least one optimum route and the route score to enable selection of the at least one optimum route for navigation of the autonomous vehicle from the start location to the destination.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus for an autonomous vehicle comprising:

circuitry configured to

receive a start location and a destination,

display a plurality of control parameters that are used to generate at least one optimum route from the start location to the destination, the plurality of control parameters including at least hands-free time, eye-off-road time, and sleep time,

receive, via a user interface, a plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of control parameters to generate the at least one optimum route and to compute a route score corresponding to each of the at least one optimum route,

transmit, via a network, the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights to a server that implements an optimization algorithm to generate the at least one optimum route using the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights,

receive, via the network, the at least one optimum route and the route score corresponding to the at least one optimum route generated by the server,

display the at least one optimum route and the route score to enable selection of the at least one optimum route for navigation of the autonomous vehicle from the start location to the destination, and

control movement of the autonomous vehicle based on the optimum route.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of control parameters include a travel time, a safety parameter, and a fuel economy parameter.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive input corresponding to the plurality of control parameters to allow setting of the plurality of weights.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the input is obtained from the user.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of weights can be pre-determined by driving the autonomous vehicle along different routes and collecting data related to at least one of the plurality of control parameters.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to re-assign the plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of control parameters after the display of the at least one optimum route and the route score.

7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the route score is computed using a control parameter ratio based on the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights.

8. The navigation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control parameter ratio is computed as a function of a plurality of measurements associated with each of the plurality of control parameters.

9. The navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a measurement is at least one of a time or a distance associated with the plurality of control parameters along at least one optimum route.

10. A method for navigation of an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, using processing circuitry, a start location and a destination;

displaying, using the processing circuitry, a plurality of control parameters that are used to generate at least one optimum route from the start location to the destination, the plurality of control parameters including at least hands-free time, eye-off-road time, and sleep time;

receiving, using the processing circuitry, a plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of control parameters to generate a route score corresponding to the at least one optimum route;

transmitting, via a network, the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights to a server that implements an optimization algorithm to generate the at least one optimum route using the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights;

receiving, via the network, the at least one optimum route and the route score corresponding to the at least one optimum route generated by the server;

displaying, using the processing circuitry, the at least one optimum route and the route score to enable selection of the at least one optimum route for navigation of the autonomous vehicle from the start location to the destination; and

controlling movement of the autonomous vehicle based on the optimum route.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises receiving input corresponding to the plurality of control parameters to allow setting of the plurality of weights.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the input is obtained from the user.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of weights can be pre-determined by driving the autonomous vehicle along different routes and collecting data related to at least one control parameter.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for navigation of an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a start location and a destination;

displaying a plurality of control parameters that are used to generate at least one optimum route from the start location to the destination, the plurality of control parameters including at least hands-free time, eye-off-road time, and sleep time;

receiving a plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of control parameters to generate a route score corresponding to the at least one optimum route;

transmitting, via a network, the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights to a server that implements an optimization algorithm to generate the at least one optimum route using the plurality of control parameters and the plurality of weights;

receiving, via the network, the at least one optimum route and the route score corresponding to the at least one optimum route generated by the server;

displaying the at least one optimum route and the route score to enable selection of the at least one optimum route for navigation of the autonomous vehicle from the start location to the destination; and

controlling movement of the autonomous vehicle based on the optimum route.