SYSTEMS FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ROUTE SELECTION AND EXECUTION

• US 20180004211A1
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Grimm, Donald K., Bai, Fan, Wang, Jenne-tai, Deng, Bing
• Granted Patent: US 10,331,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/25 Road altitude
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4026 Cycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0016 of the vehicle or its occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• 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 1/0066 for limitation of acceleration or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

A system for determining and executing an autonomous-vehicle vehicle travel route, including a hardware-based processing unit and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium includes an input-interface module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, obtains factor data indicating factors relevant to determining a vehicle travel route. The storage medium also includes a route-generation module comprising a route-complexity sub-module. The route-complexity sub-module determines, based on the factor data, route-complexity indexes corresponding to respective optional routes. The route-generation module determines the vehicle travel route based on the route-complexity indexes. The storage in various embodiments includes other sub-modules associated with other elements, such as autonomous-driving safety, comfort, stress, pollution, scenery, or infrastructure-accessibility, for determining and executing an autonomous-driving travel route. In some embodiments, the storage includes an autonomous-driving perceptions module and an autonomous-driving control module for modifying vehicle functions in executing the autonomous-driving travel route.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a hardware-based processing unit; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising;

an input-interface module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, obtains factor data indicating one or more factors relevant to determining a vehicle travel route; and

a route-generation module comprising a route-complexity sub-module, wherein;

the route-complexity sub-module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines, based on the factor data, one or more route-complexity indexes corresponding to one or more respective optional routes; and

the route-generation module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines the vehicle travel route based on at least the route-complexity indexes.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the system is implemented at an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle;

the system further comprises autonomous-driving apparatus; and

the storage medium further comprises a route-execution module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, controls the autonomous-driving apparatus to control the vehicle for executing the vehicle travel route determined.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the system is implemented at an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle;

the indexes are autonomous-driving route-complexity indexes;

the vehicle travel route is an autonomous-driving route determined to be executed in autonomous driving of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle; and

the route-generation module, in determining the vehicle travel route, determines the vehicle travel route based on the one or more automated-driving route-complexity indexes.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the route-complexity sub-module, in determining the route-complexity indexes, determines the indexes, for each of the respective optional routes, based on:

an estimated likelihood that one or more vehicle-to-passenger control interventions will be performed in execution of the route, based on the factor data;

or

an estimated number of interventions that will be performed in execution of the route, based on the factor data.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the route-generation module comprises a route-comfort sub-module;

the route-comfort sub-module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines, based on the factor data, one or more route-comfort indexes corresponding to the respective optional routes; and

the route-generation module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines the vehicle travel route based on the route-comfort indexes and the route-complexity indexes.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein determining each of the route-comfort indexes is based on a level of comfort, a level of discomfort, and/or a level of human stress level expected in execution of a corresponding route of the optional routes.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the route-generation module comprises an autonomous-driving route-safety sub-module;

the autonomous-driving route-safety sub-module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines, based on the factor data, one or more autonomous-driving route-safety indexes corresponding to the respective optional routes; and

the route-generation module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines the vehicle travel route based on the autonomous-driving route-safety indexes and the route-complexity indexes.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the autonomous-driving route-safety sub-module, in determining the autonomous-driving route-safety index for each of the optional routes, determines the autonomous-driving route-safety index based on:

an estimated frequency of safety incidents that occurred in the past on the route;

an estimated number of safety incidents that occurred in the past on execution of the route;

or

an estimated severity of safety incidents that occurred in the past on execution of the route.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the system is implemented in an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle;

the vehicle travel route is an autonomous vehicle travel route determined to be executed in autonomous driving of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle; and

at least one of the safety incidents relates to;

a risk of injury or wear and tear to an autonomous-vehicle to execute the autonomous vehicle travel route;

or

a risk of injury to a passenger of the automated vehicle when the autonomous vehicle travel route is executed by the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the route-generation module comprises a route-pollution sub-module;

the route-pollution sub-module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines, based on the factor data, one or more route-pollution indexes corresponding to the respective optional routes; and

the route-generation module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines the vehicle travel route based on the route-pollution indexes and the route-complexity indexes.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the route-pollution index determined for each of the optional routes, having different levels of pollution exposure:

relates to sound pollution, air pollution, or noise pollution expected in execution of the route;

or

is based on a severity of pollution expected in execution of the route.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the route-generation module comprises a route-infrastructure-accessibility sub-module;

the route-infrastructure-accessibility sub-module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines, based on the factor data, one or more route-infrastructure-accessibility indexes corresponding to the respective optional routes; and

the route-generation module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines the vehicle travel route based on the route-infrastructure-accessibility indexes and the route-complexity indexes.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the route-generation module comprising a route-scene sub-module;

the route-scene sub-module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines, based on the factor data, one or more route-scene indexes corresponding to the respective optional routes; and

the route-generation module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines the vehicle travel route based on the route-scene indexes and the route-complexity indexes.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the system is implemented in an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle;

the vehicle travel route is an autonomous vehicle travel route determined to be executed in autonomous driving of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle; and

the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises an autonomous-vehicle perception sub-module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines an adjustment to make to a perception system of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle for adjusting perception-system function in execution of the autonomous vehicle travel route determined.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the system is implemented in an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle;

the vehicle travel route is an autonomous vehicle travel route determined to be executed in autonomous driving of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle; and

the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprises an autonomous-driving control sub-module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines a modification to make to an autonomous driving system of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle for modified execution of the vehicle travel route determined, differing from an unmodified manner of executing the autonomous vehicle travel route.

16. A system, for implementation with an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle, comprising:

a hardware-based processing unit; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising;

an input-interface module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, obtains factor data indicating one or more factors relevant to determining an autonomous-driving vehicle travel route; and

a route-generation module comprising an autonomous-driving route-safety sub-module, wherein;

the autonomous-driving route-safety sub-module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines, based on the factor data, one or more autonomous-driving route-safety indexes corresponding to one or more respective optional routes; and

the route-generation module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines the vehicle travel route based on the autonomous-driving route-safety indexes.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the autonomous-driving route-safety sub-module, in determining each of the route-safety index, for the respective optional route, determines the route-safety index based on:

an estimated frequency of safety incidents that occurred in the past on the route;

an estimated number of safety incidents that occurred in the past on execution of the route;

or

an estimated severity of safety incidents that occurred in the past on execution of the route.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein:

the vehicle is an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle;

the vehicle travel route determined is an autonomous vehicle travel route; and

at least one of the safety incidents relates to a risk of injury or wear and tear to an autonomous-vehicle to execute the autonomous vehicle travel route or relates to a risk of injury to a passenger of the automated vehicle when the autonomous vehicle travel route is executed by the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle.

19. A system comprising:

a hardware-based processing unit; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising;

an input-interface module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, obtains factor data indicating one or more factors relevant to determining a vehicle travel route; and

a route-generation module comprising a route-comfort sub-module, wherein;

the route-comfort sub-module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines, based on the factor data, one or more route-comfort indexes corresponding to one or more respective optional routes; and

the route-generation module, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, determines the vehicle travel route based on at least the route-comfort indexes.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein determining each route-comfort index is based on a level of comfort or discomfort expected in execution of the route.