Method for identifying safe and traversable paths

• US 10,578,447 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2016
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daxbot Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nova Dynamics, LLC
• Inventors: Sullivan, Joseph Lloyd
• Primary Examiner(s): Swerdlow, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/361,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20180299278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3848 Data obtained from both position sensors and additional sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59

Abstract

A method for manually or semi-manually mapping an urban environment to locate a safe, traversable path within the environment is provided herein. An area is mapped by an entity that traverses sidewalks, ramps, driveways, crosswalks, and other terrain in the area to create a memory of usable paths to reach addressed destinations. A human operator, possibly assisted by a computer-executed mathematical algorithm, approves routes that are considered safe. When a route is approved, it enters the memory as a safe, traversable route. If a route is not approved, it is marked as unsafe and the entity finds an alternate route to get to the same location such as by going around the block or in another direction.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a safe and traversable route for a robot delivery vehicle, the method comprising:

traversing a route by a first traversal entity while gathering first sensor data on one or more objects contained within the route using a first set of one or more sensors included in the first traversal entity, wherein the first set of one or more sensors includes at least one of a GPS sensor, a video camera, a laser sensor, a sonar sensor, a radar sensor, and a lidar sensor;

using the first sensor data by a person to manually determine the route as safe and traversable by the robot delivery vehicle when the one or more objects contained within the route are not impassable by the robot delivery vehicle;

storing the route by a person in a database as a safe and traversable route when the route is determined to be safe and traversable by the robot delivery vehicle;

traversing the safe and traversable route by a second traversal entity while collecting second sensor data on the one or more objects contained within the safe and traversable route using a second set of one or more sensors included in the second traversal entity, wherein the second set of one or more sensors includes at least one of a GPS sensor, a video camera, a laser sensor, a sonar sensor, a radar sensor, and a lidar sensor; and

using the second sensor data that is representative of the one or more objects to create a stored path of the safe and traversable route for use by the robot delivery vehicle when the robot delivery vehicle traverses the safe and traversable route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the person is a first person, the first traversal entity is a second person, and the second traversal entity is a third person.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second person operates the first set of one or more sensors to gather the first sensor data and the third person operates the second set of one or more sensors to gather the second sensor data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first traversal entity is a first robot, and the second traversal entity is a second robot, and wherein the first robot and the second robot are self-propelled vehicles configured to travel over one or more of sidewalks and crowded sidewalks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more objects includes one or more urban features, and wherein the one or more urban features includes at least one of a street lamp, a building, a bus stop shelter, a sidewalk, a crosswalk ramp, a crosswalk signal, a driveway, a crosswalk island, and a street.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the robot delivery vehicle is a self-propelled vehicle configured to travel over one or more of sidewalks and crowded sidewalks.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the robot delivery vehicle further is configured to travel over roads.

8. A method for establishing a route as not safe and traversable by a robot delivery vehicle, the method comprising:

traversing a route by a traversal entity while gathering sensor data on one or more objects contained within the route using one or more sensors included in the traversal entity, wherein the one or more sensors includes at least one of a GPS sensor, a video camera, a laser sensor, a sonar sensor, a radar sensor, and a lidar sensor;

using the sensor data by a person to manually determine the route as not safe and traversable by the robot delivery vehicle when the one or more objects contained within the route are impassable by the robot delivery vehicle; and

storing the route by a person in a database as a not safe and traversable route when the route is determined to be not safe and traversable by the robot delivery vehicle, and wherein the not safe and traversable route is not used as a delivery route for the robot delivery vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the robot delivery vehicle is a self-propelled vehicle configured to travel over one or more of sidewalks and crowded sidewalks.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the person is a first person and the traversal entity is a second person, and wherein the second person operates the one or more sensors to gather the sensor data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the traversal entity is a robot, wherein the robot is a self-propelled vehicle configured to travel over one or more of sidewalks and crowded sidewalks.

12. A method for mapping a safe and traversable route for a robot delivery vehicle, the method comprising:

traversing a safe and traversable route under a first condition by a first traversal entity while gathering a first sensor data on one or more objects contained within the safe and traversable route using a first set of one or more sensors included in the first traversal entity, wherein the first set of one or more sensors includes at least one of a GPS sensor, a video camera, a laser sensor, a sonar sensor, a radar sensor, and a lidar sensor, and wherein the first condition includes at least one of a weather condition, a time of day, and a traffic condition;

using the first sensor data that is representative of the one or more objects to create a stored path of the safe and traversable route for use by the robot delivery vehicle when the robot delivery vehicle traverses the route;

traversing the safe and traversable route under a second condition by a second traversal entity while gathering a second sensor data on the one or more objects contained within the safe and traversable route using a second set of one or more sensors included in the second traversal entity, wherein the second set of one or more sensors includes at least one sensor of the same type as the first set of one or more sensors, and wherein the second condition differs from the first condition respective to at least one of the weather condition, the time of day, and the traffic condition;

determining a deviation between the first sensor data that is representative of the one or more objects detected under the first condition and the second sensor data that is representative of the one or more objects detected under the second condition, wherein the deviation is determined between sensor data of the same type; and

using the deviation to create an operating range threshold that is to be included in the stored path and used by the robot delivery vehicle as a threshold for normal operating conditions when the robot delivery vehicle traverses the safe and traversable route.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the robot delivery vehicle is a self-propelled vehicle configured to travel over one or more of sidewalks and crowded sidewalks.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the robot delivery vehicle includes a third set of one or more sensors, wherein the third set of one or more sensors includes at least one sensor of the same type as the second set of one or more sensors.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the robot delivery vehicle is configured to detect a non-normal operating condition that exceeds the operating range threshold using the third set of one or more sensors when the robot delivery vehicle traverses the safe and traversable route.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-normal operating condition includes at least one new object that is not represented in the first sensor data and the second sensor data, and wherein the at least one new object includes one or more of a vehicle blocking the safe and traversable route, a person blocking the safe and traversable route, and an anomalous object blocking the safe and traversable route.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-normal operating condition includes at least one environmental condition, and wherein the at least one environmental condition includes one or more of snow in the safe and traversable route, heavy rain in the safe and traversable route, flooding in the safe and traversable route, and ice in the safe and traversable route.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the robot delivery vehicle is configured to trigger an alarm when the robot delivery vehicle detects the non-normal operating condition.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising notifying a teleoperator at a control center by the robot delivery vehicle when the robot delivery vehicle detects the non-normal operating condition;

and

receiving commands from the teleoperator by the robot delivery vehicle until the operating range threshold is not exceeded.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising traversing the safe and traversable route by the second traversal entity a plurality of times under a plurality of conditions while gathering a respective plurality of sensor data sets on the one or more objects contained within the route using the second set of one or more sensors included in the second traversal entity, wherein each sensor data set of the plurality of sensor data sets is gathered by the second traversal entity under a different condition;

and

using the plurality of sensor data sets to determine the deviation between all sensor data sets.