Decreasing autonomous vehicle power consumption

• US 10,343,631 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Operations Incorporated (Aurora Innovation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Poeppel, Scott C., Letwin, Nicholas G., Kelly, Sean J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US15/392,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20180178741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0025 specially adapted for specific operations
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• 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 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space

Abstract

Systems and methods for decreasing vehicle power consumption are provided. In one example embodiment, a method includes sending one or more first control signals to one or more control systems of an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle operating in a first mode and configured to provide a service to one or more users of the service. The one or more control signals cause the one or more control systems to autonomously park the vehicle at the location. The method includes sending, after the autonomous vehicle has autonomously parked at the location, one or more second control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to operate in a second mode, wherein the second mode requires less power than the first mode.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of decreasing power consumption of an autonomous vehicle, comprising:

determining, by a first computing system, a predicted demand for a service at one or more geographic areas, wherein the service is provided by an autonomous vehicle to one or more users of the service, wherein the predicted demand is determined based, at least in part, on historical demand for the service at the one or more geographic areas;

autonomously determining, by a second computing system on-board the autonomous vehicle, a location to park the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the predicted demand, cellular connectivity at the location to park, and the location to park being within a predetermined distance from the one or more geographic areas;

sending, by the second computing system on-board the autonomous vehicle, one or more first control signals to one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle operating in a first mode, wherein the one or more first control signals cause the one or more control systems to autonomously park the vehicle at the location; and

sending, by the second computing system on-board the autonomous vehicle, after the autonomous vehicle has autonomously parked at the location, one or more second control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to autonomously operate in a second mode, wherein the second mode requires less power than the first mode and reduces power to one or more vehicle systems of the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on a priority of each of the one or more vehicle systems, and wherein one or more vehicle systems associated with vehicle communications have a higher priority than one or more other vehicle systems of the one or more vehicle systems.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the first computing system, after the autonomous vehicle has operated in a second mode, one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to operate in the first mode.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising determining, by the first or second computing system, whether the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle are operating within predefined operating parameters.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein sending, by the second computing system, the one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to operate in the first mode further comprises:

providing, by the second computing system, one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to autonomously drive from the location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein power consumption of the autonomous vehicle is at least 50 percent less in the second mode as compared to the first mode.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle is an automobile and wherein the autonomous vehicle is configured to provide a transportation service.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle is included in a plurality of vehicles associated with a service provider.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first computing system is remote from the autonomous vehicle.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first computing system is on-board the autonomous vehicle.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

autonomously determining, by the second computing system on-board the autonomous vehicle, the location to park the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on lighting around the location to park the autonomous vehicle.

11. A system for decreasing power consumption of an autonomous vehicle, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices, the one or more memory devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising;

determining a predicted demand for a service at one or more geographic areas, wherein the service is provided by an autonomous vehicle to one or more users of the service, wherein the predicted demand is determined based, at least in part, on historical demand for the service;

autonomously determining on-board the autonomous vehicle a location to park the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the predicted demand, cellular connectivity at the location to park, and the location to park being within a predetermined distance from the one or more geographic areas;

sending on-board the autonomous vehicle one or more first control signals to one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle operating in a first mode, wherein the one or more first control signals cause the one or more control systems to autonomously park the vehicle at the location; and

sending on-board the autonomous vehicle, after the autonomous vehicle has autonomously parked at the location, one or more second control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to autonomously operate in a second mode, wherein the second mode requires less power than the first mode, and reduces power to one or more vehicle systems of the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on a priority of each of the one or more vehicle systems, and wherein one or more vehicle systems associated with vehicle communications have a higher priority than one or more other vehicle systems of the one or more vehicle systems.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise sending, after the autonomous vehicle has operated in a second mode, one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to operate in the first mode.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle are operating within predefined operating parameters.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein sending the one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to operate in the first mode further comprises:

providing one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the autonomous vehicle causing the autonomous vehicle to autonomously drive from the location.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise determining the location to park the autonomous vehicle.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

autonomously determining on-board the autonomous vehicle the location to park the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on lighting around the location to park the autonomous vehicle.

17. An autonomous vehicle, comprising:

one or more control systems;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices, the one or more memory devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising;

determining a predicted demand for a service at one or more geographic areas, wherein the service is provided by the autonomous vehicle to one or more users of the service, wherein the predicted demand is determined based, at least in part, on historical demand for the service;

autonomously determining on-board the autonomous vehicle a location to park the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the predicted demand, cellular connectivity at the location to park, and the location to park being within a predetermined distance from the one or more geographic areas;

sending on-board the autonomous vehicle one or more first control signals to the one or more control systems of the vehicle while the vehicle is operating in a first mode, wherein the one or more first control signals cause the one or more control systems to autonomously park the vehicle at the location; and

sending on-board the autonomous vehicle, after the vehicle has autonomously parked at the location, one or more second control signals to the one or more control systems of the vehicle causing the vehicle to autonomously operate in a second mode, wherein the second mode requires less power than the first mode, and reduces power to one or more vehicle systems of the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on a priority of each of the one or more vehicle systems, and wherein one or more vehicle systems associated with vehicle communications have a higher priority than one or more other vehicle systems of the one or more vehicle systems.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise sending, after the vehicle has operated in a second mode, one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the vehicle causing the vehicle to operate in the first mode.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein sending the one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the vehicle causing the vehicle to operate in the first mode further comprises:

providing, by the one or more computing devices, one or more third control signals to the one or more control systems of the vehicle causing the vehicle to autonomously drive from the location.

20. The vehicle of claim 17, further comprising:

autonomously determining on-board the autonomous vehicle the location to park the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on lighting around the location to park the autonomous vehicle.