RESILIENT SAFETY SYSTEM FOR A ROBOTIC VEHICLE

• US 20170120902A1
• Filed: 11/04/2015
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoox Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Zoox Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kentley, Timothy David, Gamara, Rachad Youssef, Behere, Sagar
• Granted Patent: US 10,745,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/006 indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/205 inflatable in the direction of an obstacle upon impending impact, e.g. using air bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/42 extending primarily along the sides of, or completely encircling, a vehicle ornamental or guard strips B60R13/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/346 means outside vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01 Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/34 Protecting non-occupants of a vehicle, e.g. pedestrians B60R19/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/20 Static objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4026 Cycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 : Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 : Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 : Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 : Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 : Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 : Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0953 : the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 : the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0016 : of the vehicle or its occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0027 : using trajectory prediction for other traffic participants
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 : Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 : for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods implemented in algorithms, software, firmware, logic, or circuitry may be configured to process data and sensory input in real-time to determine whether an object external to an autonomous vehicle may be a potential collision threat to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle may be configured to deploy one or more bladders positioned external to the autonomous vehicle to absorb forces from an impact to the vehicle by the object. A perception system of the vehicle may receive a sensor signal and generate object data associated with the object. A planner system of the vehicle may process the object data to predict an impact time and an impact location on the vehicle. The planner system may cause a drive system of the vehicle to maneuver the vehicle to position an impact-absorbing structure and/or one or more bladders of the vehicle to coincide with the predicted impact location.

Claims

1. A method for robotic vehicle safety system activation, comprising:

calculating, based at least in part on a location of an autonomous vehicle in an environment, a current trajectory of the autonomous vehicle;

determining a location of an object in the environment;

determining, from a plurality of object classifications, an object classification of the object;

calculating a predictive rate of motion of the object based at least in part on the object classification;

generating, based at least in part on the predictive rate of motion, a predicted object path of the object in the environment;

predicting probabilities of impact between the object and the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the predicted object path and the trajectory of the autonomous vehicle;

calculating, based at least in part on the probabilities of impact, data representing a predicted point of impact of the object with the autonomous vehicle; and

maneuvering, based at least in part on the predicted point of impact, the autonomous vehicle to a preferred point of impact with the object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, from a plurality of safety systems, a first safety system to activate based at least in part on one or more of the probabilities of impact and a first distance between the object and the autonomous vehicle or the object classification, wherein the object classification is one of a pedestrian classification, a car classification, or an infrastructure classification; and

activating the first safety system of the autonomous vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising activating a second safety system of the autonomous vehicle based at least in part a second distance between the object and the autonomous vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of safety systems include a bladder system, a crumple zone, a light emitter, and an acoustic array.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based at least in part on the predicted ration of motion, when the object has a dynamic object track and when the object has a static object track.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising deploying a bladder based at least in part on the probabilities of impact, the bladder positioned external to the autonomous vehicle and configured to expand from an un-deployed position to a deployed position.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating an interior safety system of the autonomous vehicle, wherein activating the interior safety system comprises:

selecting a seat belt positioned in an interior of the autonomous vehicle, the seat belt including a seat belt and a seat belt tensioning system mechanically coupled with the seat belt; and

increasing, using the seat belt tensioning system, a tension to the seat belt.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing a bladder positioned external to the autonomous vehicle to return to an un-deployed position from a deployed position.

18. The method of claim 1, comprising:

activating, prior to the maneuvering, an exterior safety system of the autonomous vehicle, wherein activating the exterior safety system includes;

selecting, from a plurality of light emitters, a light emitter to provide a visual alert; and

causing the light emitter to provide the visual alert by emitting light indicative of the light pattern into the environment.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the maneuvering comprises:

orienting, by a steering system of the autonomous vehicle, wheels of the autonomous vehicle to an orientation configured to rotate the autonomous vehicle about an axis of the autonomous vehicle; and

rotating, by a propulsion system of the autonomous vehicle, the wheels of the autonomous vehicle to rotate the autonomous vehicle to the preferred point of impact.

7-8. -8. (canceled)

11-17. -17. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21. A system for robotic vehicle safety system activation, comprising:

sensors operative to generate sensor data for an autonomous vehicle;

safety systems operative to provide one more safety features for the autonomous vehicle, the safety systems including an interior safety system and an exterior safety system; and

one or more processors configured to perform actions, including;

determining, based at least in part on a portion of the sensor data, a location of the autonomous vehicle in the environment;

calculating, based at least in part on the location of an autonomous vehicle, a current trajectory of the autonomous vehicle;

identifying, based at least in part on a portion of the sensor data, an object within the environment;

determining a location of an object in the environment;

determining, from a plurality of object classifications, an object classification of the object;

generating, based at least in part on the object classification and a predictive rate of motion of the object, a predicted object path of the object in the environment;

predicting probabilities of impact between the object and the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the predicted object path and the trajectory of the autonomous vehicle;

selecting, from the safety systems, one or more safety systems to activate based at least in part on the probabilities of impact; and

activating the one or more of the safety systems.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

calculating, based at least in part on the probabilities of impact, data representing a predicted point of impact of the object with the autonomous vehicle; and

wherein activating the one or more safety systems includes maneuvering, based at least in part on the predicted point of impact, the autonomous vehicle to a preferred point of impact with the object.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein selecting the one or more safety systems is based at least in part on one or more of a first distance between the object and the autonomous vehicle or the object classification.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein activating the one or more safety systems includes activating a first safety system based at least in part on the first distance between the object and the autonomous vehicle and activating a second safety system based at least in part a second distance between the object and the autonomous vehicle.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the safety systems include a bladder system, a crumple zone, a light emitter, and an acoustic array, and wherein the plurality of object classifications include a pedestrian classification, a car classification, and an infrastructure classification.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising calculating the predictive rate of motion of the object and determining, based at least in part on the predicted ration of motion, that the object has a dynamic object track.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein activating the one or more safety systems includes deploying a bladder that is positioned external to the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the probabilities of impact, the bladder configured to expand from an un-deployed position to a deployed position.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein activating the one or more safety systems comprises:

selecting a seat belt positioned in an interior of the autonomous vehicle, the seat belt including a seat belt and a seat belt tensioning system mechanically coupled with the seat belt; and

increasing, using the seat belt tensioning system, a tension to the seat belt.

29. The system of claim 21, further comprising determining that an impact between the object and the autonomous vehicle has occurred and causing a bladder positioned external to the autonomous vehicle to return to an un-deployed position from a deployed position.

30. The system of claim 21, further comprising activating, prior to maneuvering the autonomous vehicle, one or more of the interior safety systems of the autonomous vehicle.