System delay corrected control method for autonomous vehicles

• US 10,435,015 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baidu USA LLC (Baidu Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Baidu USA LLC (Baidu Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kong, Qi, Zhu, Fan, Yang, Guang, Wang, Jingao
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pipala, Edward J
• Application Number:
  US15/278,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20180088576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• 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 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/06 Improving the dynamic response of the control system, e.g. improving the speed of regulation or avoiding hunting or overshoot
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287

Abstract

In one embodiment, a driving scenario is determined for a next route segment or route for an autonomous vehicle. In response, a lookup operation is performed in a scenario/delay mapping table to locate a mapping entry that matches the determined driving scenario. The scenario/delay mapping table includes a number of mapping entries. Each mapping entry maps a particular driving scenario to a system delay that has been calculated for that particular driving scenario. Thereafter, the autonomous vehicle is controlled and driven in view of the system delay corresponding to the driving scenario at the point in time, including issuing control commands according to timing compensating the system delay under the circumstances.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for operating an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a driving scenario on a planned path for a next route segment of a route for operating an autonomous vehicle, wherein the autonomous vehicle is to receive a response to a first control command associated with the driving scenario in a first period of time for an actual path of the autonomous vehicle to match the planned path of the autonomous vehicle;

performing a lookup operation in a driving scenario to system delay (scenario/delay) table to locate a matching entry matching the determined driving scenario, wherein the scenario/delay table includes a plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to one of a plurality of driving scenarios of the autonomous vehicle, wherein each entry maps one of the driving scenarios to a system delay corresponding to the driving scenario, wherein the system delay represents a difference in time between issuing a control command and a response of the autonomous vehicle in response to the control command under the corresponding driving scenario;

determining a system delay from the matching entry corresponding to the determined driving scenario; and

controlling and driving the autonomous vehicle in view of the system delay, including issuing the first control command in a second period of time, wherein the second period of time is calculated by deducting the system delay from the first period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a driving scenario is represented by one or more driving parameters, including a driving speed for a specific distance, changing lane in a specific distance, angle of a steering wheel of changing lane, a throttle pressure on a gas pedal, or a braking pressure on a brake pedal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the driving parameters were measured and recorded during driving through similar driving scenarios by a plurality of vehicles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the system delay comprises a steering control delay between time of issuing a steering control command and time of a response from one or more wheels of the autonomous vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the system delay comprises a speed control delay between time of issuing a speed control command and time the autonomous vehicle changes speed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the speed control delay comprises an acceleration delay representing time of issuing an acceleration command and time the autonomous vehicle starts accelerating.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the speed control delay comprises a deceleration delay representing time of issuing a braking command and time the autonomous vehicle starts decelerating.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations of operating an autonomous vehicle, the operations comprising:

determining a driving scenario on a planned path for a next route segment of a route for operating an autonomous vehicle, wherein the autonomous vehicle is to receive a response to a first control command associated with the driving scenario in a first period of time for an actual path of the autonomous vehicle to match the planned path of the autonomous vehicle;

performing a lookup operation in a driving scenario to system delay (scenario/delay) table to locate a matching entry matching the determined driving scenario, wherein the scenario/delay table includes a plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to one of a plurality of driving scenarios of the autonomous vehicle, wherein each entry maps one of the driving scenarios to a system delay corresponding to the driving scenario, wherein the system delay represents a difference in time between issuing a control command and a response of the autonomous vehicle in response to the control command under the corresponding driving scenario;

determining a system delay from the matching entry corresponding to the determined driving scenario; and

controlling and driving the autonomous vehicle in view of the system delay, including issuing the first control command in a second period of time wherein the second period of time is calculated by deducting the system delay from the first per 1 of time.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein a driving scenario is represented by one or more driving parameters, including a driving speed for a specific distance, changing lane in a specific distance, angle of a steering wheel of changing lane, a throttle pressure on a gas pedal, or a braking pressure on a brake pedal.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the driving parameters were measured and recorded during driving through similar driving scenarios by a plurality of vehicles.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the system delay comprises a steering control delay between time of issuing a steering control command and time of a response from one or more wheels of the autonomous vehicle.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the system delay comprises a speed control delay between time of issuing a speed control command and time the autonomous vehicle changes speed.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the speed control delay comprises an acceleration delay representing time of issuing an acceleration command and time the autonomous vehicle starts accelerating.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the speed control delay comprises a deceleration delay representing time of issuing a braking command and time the autonomous vehicle starts decelerating.

15. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations of operating an autonomous vehicle, the operations including

determining a driving scenario on a planned path for a next route segment of a route for operating an autonomous vehicle, wherein the autonomous vehicle is to receive a response to a first control command associated with the driving scenario in a first period of time for an actual path of the autonomous vehicle to match the planned path of the autonomous vehicle,

performing a lookup operation in a driving scenario to system delay (scenario/delay) table to locate a matching entry matching the determined driving scenario, wherein the scenario/delay table includes a plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to one of a plurality of driving scenarios of the autonomous vehicle, wherein each entry maps one of the driving scenarios to a system delay corresponding to the driving scenario, wherein the system delay represents a difference in time between issuing a control command and a response of the autonomous vehicle in response to the control command under the corresponding driving scenario,

determining a system delay from the matching entry corresponding to the determined driving scenario, and

controlling and driving the autonomous vehicle in view of the system delay, including issuing the first control command in a second period of time, wherein the second period of time is calculated by deducting the system delay from the first period of time.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein a driving scenario is represented by one or more driving parameters, including a driving speed for a specific distance, changing lane in a specific distance, angle of a steering wheel of changing lane, a throttle pressure on a gas pedal, or a braking pressure on a brake pedal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the driving parameters were measured and recorded during driving through similar driving scenarios by a plurality of vehicles.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the system delay comprises a steering control delay between time of issuing a steering control command and time of a response from one or more wheels of the autonomous vehicle.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the system delay comprises a speed control delay between time of issuing a speed control command and time the autonomous vehicle changes speed.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the speed control delay comprises an acceleration delay representing time of issuing an acceleration command and time the autonomous vehicle starts accelerating.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the speed control delay comprises a deceleration delay representing time of issuing a braking command and time the autonomous vehicle starts decelerating.