Creating aisle access for autonomous vehicle parking

• US 10,317,911 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2018
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Inventors: Harvey, Thomas Danaher
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US16/014,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20180299905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/5035 electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/508 specific to vehicles driving in fleets or convoys
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/544 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle occupants, e.g. for indicating disabled occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/547 for issuing requests to other traffic participants; for confirming to other traffic participants they can proceed, e.g. they can overtake
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 6/422 Automatically operated car-parks
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• 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 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• 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 includes receiving a request for access associated with a selected one of a plurality of autonomous vehicles in an array that comprises a plurality of columns, wherein the selected autonomous vehicle is in a first one of the columns and blocked by one or more other autonomous vehicles in the first column and one or more other autonomous vehicles in a second one of the columns, and computing coordinated movements for one or more of the autonomous vehicles to provide the requested access such that in each of the first and second columns, one or more of the autonomous vehicles in the column are moved longitudinally to move the column, and the movement of each of the first and second columns collectively creates a temporary access aisle for the selected autonomous vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a central computing device, a request for access associated with a selected one of a plurality of autonomous vehicles in an array that comprises a plurality of columns, wherein the selected autonomous vehicle is in a first one of the columns and blocked by one or more other autonomous vehicles in the first column and one or more other autonomous vehicles in a second one of the columns; and

computing, by the central computing device, coordinated movements for one or more of the autonomous vehicles to provide the requested access, wherein;

in each of the first and second columns, one or more of the other autonomous vehicles in each of the first and second columns are moved to create a gap in each of the first and second columns; and

the gap created in each of the first and second columns collectively create a temporary access aisle for the selected autonomous vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing, by the central computing device, the autonomous vehicles in the first and second columns to execute autonomously the set of coordinated movements to provide the requested access.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in each of the first and second columns, one or more of the autonomous vehicles are moved to split each of the first and second columns, thereby creating the gap in each of the first and second columns for the temporary access aisle, with one or more of the autonomous vehicles in each of the first and second columns being on one side of the temporary access aisle and one or more other autonomous vehicles in each of the first and second columns being on another side of the temporary access aisle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in each of the first and second columns, one or more of the autonomous vehicles are moved to shift each of the first and second columns, thereby creating a gap at an end of each of the first and second columns for the temporary access aisle, with all autonomous vehicles in each of the first and second columns being on a same side of the temporary access aisle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary access aisle is:

perpendicular to one or more of each of the first and second columns;

or

diagonal with respect to one or more of each of the first and second columns.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the set of coordinated movements:

the autonomous vehicles in the first and second columns all drive forward;

the autonomous vehicles in the first and second columns all drive backward;

or

some of the autonomous vehicles in the first and second columns drive forward and other of the autonomous vehicles in the first and second columns drive backward.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the request for access is one of a plurality of requests for access associated with a plurality of selected ones of the autonomous vehicles in the array; and

the plurality of requests are batched based on one or more of their urgency, their type, or an efficiency of batch composition for simultaneous movement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the temporary access aisle is created, the selected autonomous vehicle:

is made available, through the temporary access aisle, for cargo loading or unloading;

or

is made available, through the temporary access aisle, for passenger loading.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the central computing device is in one of the autonomous vehicles in the array.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the central computing device is external to the autonomous vehicles in the array.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a communication network wirelessly connects the autonomous vehicles to the central computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication network:

communicates location information from one or more of the autonomous vehicles in the array to the central computing device;

or

communicates movement information based on the coordinated movements computed by the central computing device from the central computing device to one or more of the autonomous vehicles in the array.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication network is unidirectional or bidirectional.

14. The method claim 11, wherein the communication network is:

part of a vehicle-control network operating only in an area where the array of autonomous vehicles is located;

or

part of a communication system operating in a larger area that encompasses the location of the array of autonomous vehicles.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the autonomous vehicles in the array each comprises sensors for determining the autonomous vehicle'"'"'s absolute location in the array or relative location with respect to one or more other autonomous vehicles in the array.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the autonomous vehicle communicates its determined absolute or relative location in the array to the central computing device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the autonomous vehicles in the array each comprises sensors for determining another autonomous vehicle'"'"'s location in the array.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the autonomous vehicle communicates the other autonomous vehicle'"'"'s location in the array to the central computing device.

19. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

receive, by a central computing device, a request for access associated with a selected one of a plurality of autonomous vehicles in an array that comprises a plurality of columns, wherein the selected autonomous vehicle is in a first one of the columns and blocked by one or more other autonomous vehicles in the first column and one or more other autonomous vehicles in a second one of the columns; and

compute, by the central computing device, coordinated movements for one or more of the autonomous vehicles to provide the requested access, wherein;

in each of the first and second columns, one or more of the other autonomous vehicles in each of the first and second columns are moved to create a gap in each of the first and second columns; and

the gap created in each of the first and second columns collectively create a temporary access aisle for the selected autonomous vehicle.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media coupled to one or more of the processors and comprising instructions operable when executed by one or more of the processors to cause the system to;

receive, by a central computing device, a request for access associated with a selected one of a plurality of autonomous vehicles in an array that comprises a plurality of columns, wherein the selected autonomous vehicle is in a first one of the columns and blocked by one or more other autonomous vehicles in the first column and one or more other autonomous vehicles in a second one of the columns; and

compute, by the central computing device, coordinated movements for one or more of the autonomous vehicles to provide the requested access, wherein;

in each of the first and second columns, one or more of the other autonomous vehicles in each of the first and second columns are moved to create a gap in each of the first and second columns; and

the gap created in each of the first and second columns collectively create a temporary access aisle for the selected autonomous vehicle.