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Systems and methods for controlling autonomous vehicles that provide a vehicle service to users

  • US 10,528,059 B2
  • Filed: 07/28/2017
  • Issued: 01/07/2020
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2017
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method of controlling autonomous vehicles, comprising:

  • obtaining, by a vehicle computing system that comprises one or more computing devices, data indicative of a location associated with a user to which an autonomous vehicle is to travel, wherein the autonomous vehicle is to travel along a first vehicle route that leads to the location associated with the user;

    obtaining, by the computing system via one or more sensors of the autonomous vehicle, sensor data associated with a surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle that is within a vicinity of the location associated with the user;

    determining, by the computing system, a level of traffic associated with a geographic area that includes the location associated with the user based at least in part on the sensor data;

    determining, by the vehicle computing system, an estimated traffic impact of the autonomous vehicle on the geographic area based at least in part on the level of traffic that is based at least in part on the sensor data, wherein the estimated traffic impact is indicative of an estimated impact of the autonomous vehicle on one or more objects within the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle in the event that the autonomous vehicle were to stop at least partially in a travel way within the vicinity of the location associated with the user;

    determining, by the vehicle computing system, one or more vehicle actions based at least in part on the estimated traffic impact; and

    causing, by the vehicle computing system, the autonomous vehicle to perform the one or more vehicle actions, wherein the one or more vehicle actions comprise at least one of stopping the autonomous vehicle at least partially in the travel way within the vicinity of the location associated with the user or travelling along a second vehicle route.

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