Technology for situational modification of autonomous vehicle operation

• US 10,593,202 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2017
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Christensen, Scott T., Hayward, Gregory L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US15/811,207
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0062 Adapting control system settings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/001 Planning or execution of driving tasks
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• 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: G08B 13/19647 Systems specially adapted for intrusion detection in or around a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

Systems and methods for situational modification of autonomous vehicle operation are disclosed. According to aspects, a computing device may detect the occurrence of an emergency event and may determine a current operation of an autonomous vehicle that may be associated with the emergency event. The computing device may determine a modification to operation of the autonomous vehicle, where the modification may represent a violation of a roadway regulation that may enable effective handling of the emergency event. The computing device may generate a set of instructions for the autonomous vehicle to execute to cause the autonomous vehicle to undertake the operation modification.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating operation of an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting occurrence of an emergency event at an emergency location; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the emergency event;

obtaining (i) a current location of the autonomous vehicle and (ii) a current operation of the autonomous vehicle,

determining a vehicle operation regulation associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle,

determining, based on the current operation of the autonomous vehicle and the emergency location of the emergency event, a vehicle operation modification to direct the autonomous vehicle to operate in violation of the vehicle operation regulation to enable an emergency vehicle to reach the emergency location,

generating, by a computer processor based on the vehicle operation modification, a set of vehicle control instructions for the autonomous vehicle, and

providing the set of vehicle control instructions to an on-board computing device installed in the autonomous vehicle, wherein the on-board computing device (i) executes the set of vehicle control instructions to cause the autonomous vehicle to violate the vehicle operation regulation to enable the emergency vehicle to reach the emergency location, and (ii) presents, in a user interface of the on-board computing device, an indication of the vehicle operation modification that directs the autonomous vehicle to operate in violation of the vehicle operation regulation.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle is either a non-emergency autonomous vehicle or an emergency autonomous vehicle.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of the emergency event at the emergency location comprises:

receiving, from a data source, a notification of the emergency event at the emergency location.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle is an emergency autonomous vehicle and the vehicle operation regulation is a speed limit associated with the current location of the emergency autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the vehicle operation modification comprises:

determining the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an operation speed of the emergency autonomous vehicle in excess of the speed limit.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle operation regulation is a traffic light associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle, the traffic light having a current signal, and wherein determining the vehicle operation modification comprises:

determining the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an autonomous vehicle movement of the autonomous vehicle in violation of the current signal of the traffic light.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle operation regulation is a direction of travel of a roadway associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the vehicle operation modification comprises:

determining the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an intended direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle along the roadway opposite from the direction of travel of the roadway.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle operation regulation is specific to whether the autonomous vehicle is an emergency autonomous vehicle or a non-emergency autonomous vehicle.

8. A system for facilitating operation of an autonomous vehicle, comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate with the autonomous vehicle via at least one network connection;

a memory storing a set of computer-executable instructions; and

a processor interfacing with the transceiver and the memory, and configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to;

detect occurrence of an emergency event at an emergency location, and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the emergency event;

obtain (i) a current location of the autonomous vehicle and (ii) a current operation of the autonomous vehicle,

determine a vehicle operation regulation associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle,

determine, based on the current operation of the autonomous vehicle and the emergency location of the emergency event, a vehicle operation modification to direct the autonomous vehicle to operate in violation of the vehicle operation regulation to enable an emergency vehicle to reach the emergency location,

generate, based on the vehicle operation modification, a set of vehicle control instructions for the autonomous vehicle, and

provide the set of vehicle control instructions to an on-board computing device installed in the autonomous vehicle via the transceiver, wherein the on-board computing device (i) executes the set of vehicle control instructions to cause the autonomous vehicle to violate the vehicle operation regulation to enable the emergency vehicle to reach the emergency location, and (ii) presents, in a user interface of the on-board computing device, an indication of the vehicle operation modification that directs the autonomous vehicle to operate in violation of the vehicle operation regulation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the autonomous vehicle is one of:

a non-emergency autonomous vehicle or an emergency autonomous vehicle.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein to detect the occurrence of the emergency event at the emergency location, the processor is configured to:

receive, from a data source via the transceiver, a notification of the emergency event at the emergency location.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the autonomous vehicle is an emergency autonomous vehicle and the vehicle operation regulation is a speed limit associated with the current location of the emergency autonomous vehicle, and wherein to determine the vehicle operation modification, the processor is configured to:

determine the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an operation speed of the emergency autonomous vehicle in excess of the speed limit.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle operation regulation is a traffic light associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle, the traffic light having a current signal, and wherein to determine the vehicle operation modification, the processor is configured to:

determine the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an autonomous vehicle movement of the autonomous vehicle in violation of the current signal of the traffic light.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle operation regulation is a direction of travel of a roadway associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein to determine the vehicle operation modification, the processor is configured to:

determine the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an intended direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle along the roadway opposite from the direction of travel of the roadway.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle operation regulation is specific to whether the autonomous vehicle is an emergency autonomous vehicle or a non-emergency autonomous vehicle.

15. A computer-implemented method in an autonomous vehicle of facilitating operation of the autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting occurrence of an emergency event at an emergency location; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the emergency event;

obtaining (i) a current location of the autonomous vehicle and (ii) a current operation of the autonomous vehicle,

determining a vehicle operation regulation associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle,

determining, based on the current operation of the autonomous vehicle and the emergency location of the emergency event, a vehicle operation modification to direct the autonomous vehicle to operate in violation of the vehicle operation regulation to enable an emergency vehicle to reach the emergency location,

generating, by a computer processor based on the vehicle operation modification, a set of vehicle control instructions for the autonomous vehicle,

executing, by an on-board computing device installed in the autonomous vehicle, the set of vehicle control instructions to cause the autonomous vehicle to violate the vehicle operation regulation to enable the emergency vehicle to reach the emergency location, and

presenting, in a user interface of the on-board computing device, an indication of the vehicle operation modification that directs the autonomous vehicle to operate in violation of the vehicle operation regulation.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein detecting the occurrence or the emergency event at the emergency location comprises:

receiving, from a data source, a notification of the emergency event at the emergency location.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the autonomous vehicle is an emergency autonomous vehicle and the vehicle operation regulation is a speed limit associated with the current location of the emergency autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the vehicle operation modification comprises:

determining the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an operation speed of the emergency autonomous vehicle in excess of the speed limit.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle operation regulation is a traffic light associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle, the traffic light having a current signal, and wherein determining the vehicle operation modification comprises:

determining the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an autonomous vehicle movement of the autonomous vehicle in violation of the current signal of the traffic light.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle operation regulation is a direction of travel of a roadway associated with the current location of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the vehicle operation modification comprises:

determining the vehicle operation modification corresponding to an intended direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle along the roadway opposite from the direction of travel of the roadway.