Using pre-computed vehicle locations and paths to direct autonomous vehicle maneuvering

• US 10,317,913 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:
  US16/014,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20180307250A1
• 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 pre-assigned parking space of a particular one of a plurality of autonomous vehicles in a parking area, determining that the pre-assigned parking space of the particular autonomous vehicle has at least one blocking parking space that is pre-assigned to another autonomous vehicle, determining a state of the at least one blocking parking space with respect to the autonomous vehicle pre-assigned to it, and accessing pre-computed coordinated movements for the autonomous vehicles corresponding to the state of the at least one blocking parking space to provide the requested access.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a central computing device, a request for access associated with a particular one of a plurality of autonomous vehicles in a parking area;

determining, by the central computing device, that the particular autonomous vehicle is associated with one or more blocking autonomous vehicles;

determining, by the central computing device, a state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles; and

causing, by the central computing device, each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to access stored pre-computed movements to performed by each of the one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles based on the determined state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to provide the requested access.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing, by the central computing device, the pre-computed coordinated movements to be executed autonomously by the autonomous vehicles.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles are arranged in an array that comprises a plurality of columns.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for access associated with the particular autonomous vehicle is a request by the particular autonomous vehicle to enter a pre-assigned parking space upon arriving at the parking area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for access associated with of the particular autonomous vehicle is a request by the particular autonomous vehicle to leave a pre-assigned parking space to exit the parking area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the central computing device is in the particular autonomous vehicle or another one of the autonomous vehicles.

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

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for access is from a client computing device of a user requesting to enter or exit the parking area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the request for access comprises a query from the particular autonomous vehicle to one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles;

one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles responds to the query with the state of each of the on or more blocking autonomous vehicles;

when the response indicates that the state of one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles is changing, the particular autonomous vehicle waits and repeats the query;

when the response indicates that the state of one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles is present, the particular autonomous vehicle;

causes the pre-computed coordinated movements stored on the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles and determined based on the state of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to be executed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-computed movements are determined based on sensors of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles comprises:

absent, changing, or present.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-computed coordinated movements for the autonomous vehicles are based on vehicle count, vehicle type, vehicle dimensions, or vehicle capabilities.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein vehicle capabilities comprise one or more of:

traction;

turning ability;

speed capability;

autonomous-operation capabilities,

ability to sense and coordinate with other vehicles;

communication capabilities;

or

reliability.

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

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication network:

communicates location information from one or more of the autonomous vehicles 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.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication network is unidirectional or bidirectional.

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

part of a vehicle-control network operating only in the parking area;

or

part of a communication system operating in a larger area that encompasses the parking area.

18. 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 particular one of a plurality of autonomous vehicles in a parking area;

determine, by the central computing device, that the particular autonomous vehicle is associated with one or more blocking autonomous vehicles;

determine, by the central computing device, a state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles; and

cause, by the central computing device, each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to access stored pre-computed movements to be performed by each of the one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles based on the determined state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to provide the requested access.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein

the request for access comprises a query from the particular autonomous vehicle to one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles;

one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles responds to the query with the state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles;

when the response indicates that the state of one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles is changing, the particular autonomous vehicle waits and repeats the query;

when the response indicates that the state of one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles is present, the particular autonomous vehicle;

causes the pre-computed coordinated movements stored on the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles and determined based on the state of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to be executed.

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 particular one of a plurality of autonomous vehicles in a parking area;

determine, by the central computing device, that the particular autonomous vehicle is associated with one or more blocking autonomous vehicles;

determine, by the central computing device, a state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles; and

cause, by the central computing device, each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to access stored pre-computed movements to be performed by each of the one ore more of the blocking autonomous vehicles based on the determined state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to provide the requested access.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein

the request for access comprises a query from the particular autonomous vehicle to one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles;

one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles responds to the query with the state of each of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles;

when the response indicates that the state of one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles is changing, the particular autonomous vehicle waits and repeats the query;

when the response indicates that the state of one or more of the blocking autonomous vehicles is present, the particular autonomous vehicle;

causes the pre-computed coordinated movements stored on the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles and determined based on the state of the one or more blocking autonomous vehicles to be executed.