AUTOMATIC DRIVING ROUTE PLANNING APPLICATION

• US 20170219364A1
• Filed: 03/03/2014
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG), Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: TOGGWEILER, James Leigh, LIPINSKI, Daniel, GLASER, Eric, COSER, Nathaniel Coser, OEL, Peter, LATHROP, William Brian
• Granted Patent: US 10,451,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• 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 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions

Abstract

A method and system is provided for a semi-autonomous vehicle to have optional routes that vary in an amount of autonomous driving offered. The system performs processes including aggregating data from various sources to thereby position and orient the vehicle, assigning an autonomous driving value to different route segments, determining an optimal route by minimizing a distance between a start position and a destination position and maximizing the percent autonomous value assigned, and displaying the optimal route.

Claims

1. A system for determining a route to a specific destination from computer generated map data for a vehicle configured to operate at least partially in an autonomous driving mode, comprising:

a storage for storing map data

an input for receiving data from one or more navigational data sources;

a processing apparatus, operatively coupled to the input and storage, wherein the processing apparatus is configured with routing means for

aggregating the data to determine a location of the vehicle and incorporate the position with the map data,

processing the map data to determine a plurality of route segments and to calculate an autonomous driving value for each of the plurality of segments from the determined vehicle location, and

determining an optimal route by minimizing a distance between a start position and a destination position and maximizing the autonomous driving value for at least one of the route segments; and

a display, operatively coupled to the processing apparatus for displaying the determined optimal route.

2. A system for providing navigation information for a vehicle, comprising:

a storage for storing map data

a first input for receiving data from one or more navigational data sources;

a second input for receiving a destination value for the vehicle; and

a processing apparatus, operatively coupled to the first input, second input and storage, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to

determine a location for the vehicle, generate a plurality of routes from the location to the received destination value, calculate a length value for each of the plurality of routes, calculate an autonomous driving value for each of the plurality of routes, and process the length values and autonomous driving values with the map data to generate a navigation map comprising information relating to the autonomous driving values and length values calculated for each of the plurality of routes.

3. A processor-based method for determining a route to a specific destination from computer generated map data for a vehicle configured to operate at least partially in an autonomous driving mode, the method comprising:

aggregating data from one or more navigational data sources to determine a position of the vehicle from the map data;

processing the map data to determine a plurality of route segments and to calculate an autonomous driving value for each of the plurality of segments from the determined vehicle position;

determining an optimal route by minimizing a distance between a start position and a destination position and maximizing the autonomous driving value for at least one of the route segments; and

displaying the determined optimal route.

4. The processor-based method of claim 3, wherein the autonomous driving value comprises a percent autonomous value.

5. The processor-based method according to claim 3, further comprising assigning a weight to at least one of the calculated autonomous driving values for the route segments.

6. The processor-based method of claim 5, wherein the weight is based on a length of a corresponding route segment.

7. The processor-based method of claim 3, wherein calculating the autonomous driving value comprises:

assigning a weight to the autonomous driving value for each route segment to obtain a weighted value for each route segment; and

summing the weighted value for each route segment.

8. The processor-based method of claim 3, wherein the autonomous driving value is determined by:

9. The processor-based method of claim 3, wherein the autonomous driving value is determined by:

10. The processor-based method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of route segments are processed to form a plurality of routes, and wherein each of the plurality of routes comprise at least one of (i) a different distance value and (ii) a different time value.

11. The processor-based method of claim 10, wherein determining the optimal route comprises selecting one of the plurality of routes based on at least one of the distance value and time value of the route and the autonomous driving value of the route.

12. A processor-based method for providing navigation information for a vehicle, comprising:

determining a location for the vehicle;

receiving a destination value for the vehicle;

generating a plurality of routes from the location to the destination;

calculating a length value for each of the plurality of routes;

calculating an autonomous driving value for each of the plurality of routes; and

processing the length values and autonomous driving values with map data to generate a navigation map comprising information relating to the autonomous driving values and length values calculated for each of the plurality of routes.

13. The processor-based method of claim 12, wherein the at least some of the plurality of routes respectively comprise a plurality of route segments, and wherein autonomous driving values are calculated for each route segment.

14. The processor-based method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, for one of the plurality of route segments, if an autonomous driving value is below a predetermined threshold; and

communicating a warning if the autonomous driving value is determined to be below the predetermined threshold.

15. The processor-based method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, for one of the plurality of route segments, if an autonomous driving value is above a predetermined threshold; and

communicating an autonomous driving mode engagement message if the autonomous driving value determined to be above the predetermined threshold.

16. The processor-based method of claim 12, wherein the destination value is received from a portable computing device.

17. The processor-based method of claim 16, wherein the generated navigational map is communicated to the portable computing device.

18. The processor-based method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a navigational map route selection from the portable computing device; and

communicating the route selection to an in-vehicle navigation system.

19. The processor-based method of claim 12, further comprising communicating the navigational map to a user.

20. The processor-based method of claim 19, wherein the navigational map is communicated to at least one of a portable computing device and an in-vehicle display screen.