Route Planning for an Autonomous Vehicle

• US 20170356747A1
• Filed: 06/14/2016
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motional AD, LLC (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: nuTonomy, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Iagnemma, Karl
• Granted Patent: US 10,126,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• 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: 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: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

Among other things, a determination is made of an ability of an autonomous vehicle to safely or robustly travel a road feature or a road segment or a route that is being considered for the autonomous vehicle as of a time or range of times. Route root conforms to properties of stored road network information. The road feature or road segment or route is eliminated from consideration if the computer has determined that the road feature or road segment or route cannot be safely or robustly traveled by the autonomous vehicle. The determination by the computer is based on properties of the environment in which the autonomous vehicle travels.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising

by computer determining an ability of an autonomous vehicle to safely or robustly travel a road feature or a road segment or a route that is being considered for the autonomous vehicle as of a time or range of times, the route conforming to properties of stored road network information and

eliminating the road feature or road segment or route from consideration if the computer has determined that the road feature or road segment or route cannot be safely or robustly traveled by the autonomous vehicle,

the determination by the computer being based on properties of the environment in which the autonomous vehicle travels.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the environment comprises road features.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise navigability by the autonomous vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise spatial characteristics of road features.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise connectivity characteristics of road features.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise spatial orientations of road features.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise locations of road work or traffic accidents.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise the road surface roughness of road features.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise curvature slope that affect visibility.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise characteristics of markings of road features.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the properties of the environment comprise physical navigation challenges of road features associated with inclement weather.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the computer determines an ability of the autonomous vehicle to safely or robustly travel each of a set of road features or road segments or routes.

13. The method of claim 1 in which the ability of the autonomous vehicle to safely or robustly travel a road feature or a road segment or a route depends on characteristics of sensors on the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the characteristics comprise an actual or estimated level of performance as a function of current or predicted future conditions.

15. The method of claim 1 in which the computer determines the ability of the autonomous vehicle as of a given time.

16. The method of claim 1 in which the route is one of two or more candidate routes determined by a route planning process.

17. The method of claim 1 in which the ability of the autonomous vehicle to safely or robustly travel a road feature or a road segment or a route depends on characteristics of software processes.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the software processes comprise processing of data from sensors on the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17 in which the software processes comprise motion planning.

20. The method of claim 17 in which the software processes comprise decision-making.

21. The method of claim 17 in which the software processes comprise vehicle motion control.

22. The method of claim 17 in which the characteristics comprise an actual or estimated level of performance as a function of current or predicted future conditions.