Coordination of dispatching and maintaining fleet of autonomous vehicles

• US 20170123421A1
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,958,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• 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: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4972 Alignment of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• 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: G05D 1/0287 involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computer software and systems, and wired and wireless network communications to provide an autonomous vehicle fleet as a service. More specifically, systems, devices, and methods are configured to manage a fleet of autonomous vehicles. In particular, a method may include determining destination locations for autonomous vehicles, calculating, at an autonomous vehicle service platform, delivery locations to which the autonomous vehicles are directed, identifying data to implement a delivery location associated with an autonomous vehicle, and transmitting data representing a command to the autonomous vehicle. The command may be configured to cause navigation of the autonomous vehicle to the delivery location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining first origination location for an autonomous vehicle of a plurality of autonomous vehicles;

determining a plurality of destination locations to which the plurality of autonomous vehicles are to be directed;

maintaining policy data specifying one or more parameters for selecting individual autonomous vehicles of the plurality of autonomous vehicles to service respective requests associated with the plurality of origination locations;

generating routing data that indicates at least a first route from the first origination location of the autonomous vehicle to a destination location of the plurality of destination locations and at least a second route from the destination location of the autonomous vehicle to a second origination location of a plurality of second origination locations;

selecting the autonomous vehicle to navigate to the second origination location based at least in part on the routing data and the policy data;

generating command data for the autonomous vehicle using the routing data; and

sending the command data to the autonomous vehicle, the command data causing the autonomous vehicle to navigate to the second origination location via the route and the destination location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of second origination locations comprises:

determining the plurality of second origination locations for a geo-fenced region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a computing device, a request for transportation by one of the plurality of autonomous vehicles; and

determining a location associated with the computing device,

wherein determining the plurality of second origination locations comprises determining at least the second origination location based at least in part on the location associated with the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in a routing characteristic associated with a portion of the first route between the autonomous vehicle and the destination location;

identifying a third route for the autonomous vehicle;

generating additional command data for the autonomous vehicle; and

sending the additional command data to the autonomous vehicle to.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the additional command data causes the autonomous vehicle to navigate via the third route to the destination location.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein

the additional command data causes the autonomous vehicle to navigate via the third route to another destination location.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting the change in the routing characteristic comprises:

receiving a request to change the destination location to another destination location; and

determining the third route to service the request.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a teleoperator command via a teleoperator computing device to send the additional command data to the autonomous vehicle, wherein the additional command data causes the autonomous vehicle to navigate via the third route.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a computing device, a request for transportation by one of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

determining a location associated with the computing device;

selecting an additional autonomous vehicle to service the request for transportation, the additional autonomous vehicle being located at a station;

generating additional command data for the additional autonomous vehicle, the additional command data configured to cause the additional autonomous vehicle to navigate from the station to the location; and

sending the additional command data to the additional autonomous vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the second origination location as a region at which to park the autonomous vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying an absence of a request for transportation for the autonomous vehicle,

wherein the command data further instructs the autonomous vehicle to park at the region, wherein the region is a parking space.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying an absence of a request for transportation for the autonomous vehicle,

wherein the command data further instructs the autonomous vehicle to transition from a first power state to a second power state, wherein the first power state is associated with a drive mode for the autonomous vehicle and the second power state is associated with a standby mode for the autonomous vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an additional destination location for an additional autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

identifying additional routing data that indicates at least an additional route from the additional destination location of the additional autonomous vehicle to the second origination location;

determining a first time associated with the autonomous vehicle navigating to the second origination location via the second route;

determining a second time associated with the additional autonomous vehicle navigating to the origination location via the additional route; and

determining that the first time is less than the second time;

wherein selecting the autonomous vehicle is further based at least in part on determining that the first time is less than the second time.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating fleet management data associated with the autonomous vehicle; and

identifying one or more values of an autonomous vehicle characteristic,

wherein the routing data further indicates the one or more values of the autonomous vehicle characteristic.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of:

a minimum distance that the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed to maintain from external objects;

one or more types of road lines that the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed not to cross;

one or more lanes in which the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed to travel;

or

one or more road segments or intersections that the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed to bypass.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein each autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles includes a same type of autonomous vehicle.

4. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

17. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices including one or more processors, the one or more computing devices configured to;

determine a plurality of destination locations for a plurality of autonomous vehicles;

determine a plurality of origination locations to which the plurality of autonomous vehicles are to be directed;

identify first routing data that indicates at least a first route from a first destination location of a first autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles an origination location of the plurality of origination locations;

identify second routing data that indicates at least a second route from a second destination location of a second autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles to the origination location of the plurality of second origination locations;

determine one or more routing metrics for optimizing routing of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

select the first autonomous vehicle to navigate to the origination location based at least in part on the first route, the second route, and the one or more routing metrics;

generate command data for the first autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the first routing data; and

send the command data to the first autonomous vehicle, the command data instructing the autonomous vehicle to navigate to the origination location via the first route.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

receive, from a computing device, a request for transportation by one of the plurality of autonomous vehicles; and

determine a location associated with the computing device,

wherein determining the plurality of origination locations comprises at least determining the origination location based at least in part on the location associated with the computing device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

detect a change in a routing characteristic associated with a portion of a first route between the autonomous vehicle and the destination location;

identify a second route for the autonomous vehicle;

generate additional command data for the autonomous vehicle, the additional command data configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to navigate via the second route; and

send the additional command data to the autonomous vehicle.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

identify the origination location as a region at which to park the autonomous vehicle, and

wherein the command data further instructs the autonomous vehicle to transition from a first power state to a second power state, wherein the first power state is associated with a drive mode for the autonomous vehicle and the second power state is associated with a standby mode for the autonomous vehicle.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more routing metrics include one or more of:

instructions to minimize travel times of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

instructions to maximize a number of autonomous vehicles in service per unit distance;

instructions to minimize aggregated costs of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

instructions to minimize battery discharge per unit distance traveled of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

instructions to maximize distance of travel per unit battery charge of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

instructions to maximize times during which the plurality of autonomous vehicles are transporting passengers against times during which the plurality of autonomous vehicles are inoperable;

instructions to minimize an amount of teleoperator hours to facilitate routing of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

or

instructions to minimize power consumption of the plurality of autonomous vehicles.

24. A method comprising:

sending, by an autonomous vehicle and to a system, a first geographical location associated with the autonomous vehicle;

receiving, by the autonomous vehicle and from the system, a command configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to navigate from the first geographical location to a second geographical location via a route, wherein the route is based at least in part on policy data;

generating, by the autonomous vehicle, a trajectory based at least in part on the route; and

navigate, by the autonomous vehicle, to the second geographical location via the trajectory.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the policy data includes one or more of:

a minimum distance that the autonomous vehicle is instructed to maintain from external objects;

one or more types of road lines that the autonomous vehicle is instructed not to cross;

one or more lanes in which the autonomous vehicle is instructed to travel;

or one or more road segments or intersections that the autonomous vehicle is instructed to bypass.