Positioning vehicles to improve quality of observations at intersections

• US 8,712,624 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2012
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fairfield, Nathaniel, Templeton, Bradley, Ferguson, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHNEIDER, PAULA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US13/441,800
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 701/25, 701/23, 701/117
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/10 Number of lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18159 Traversing an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and apparatus for controlling autonomous vehicles utilizing maps that include visibility information. A map is stored at a computing device associated with a vehicle. The vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous mode that supports a plurality of driving behaviors. The map includes information about a plurality of roads, a plurality of features, and visibility information for at least a first feature in the plurality of features. The computing device queries the map for visibility information for the first feature at a first position. The computing device, in response to querying the map, receives the visibility information for the first feature at the first position. The computing device selects a driving behavior for the vehicle based on the visibility information. The computing device controls the vehicle in accordance with the selected driving behavior.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing a map at a computing device associated with a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous operation mode that supports a plurality of driving behaviors, and wherein the map comprises information about a plurality of roads, a plurality of features, and visibility information for at least a first feature in the plurality of features;

querying the map, using the computing device, for visibility information for the first feature at a first position of the vehicle, wherein the first position is associated with an intersection of at least two roads in the plurality of roads, wherein the visibility information comprises visibility information for a plurality of sub-positions of the vehicle, wherein at least one sub-position of the plurality of sub-positions is associated with a designated sub-lane position of a lane position of a lane of one road of the at least two roads, wherein the lane position is specified with respect to a plurality of sub-lane positions, the plurality of sub-lane positions comprising the designated sub-lane position, and wherein each sub-lane position in the plurality of sub-lane positions specifies a position within a width of the lane;

in response to querying the map, the computing device receiving the visibility information for the first feature at the first position of the vehicle;

selecting a driving behavior for the vehicle using the computing device based on the visibility information; and

controlling the vehicle using the computing device in accordance with the selected driving behavior.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one road of the at least two roads comprises a plurality of lanes, and for each lane in the plurality of lanes:

the plurality of sub-positions comprises a sub-position associated with a lane position of the lane.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first position of the vehicle is further associated with both the lane position and a sub-lane position of the lane position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feature is associated with a first traffic control device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first traffic control device is further associated with a second feature, wherein the first feature comprises a traffic light, and wherein the second feature comprises a turn-control signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the visibility information comprises a visibility index.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first position of the vehicle is associated with the plurality of sub-positions, and wherein the visibility index comprises an ordering of best-to-worst sub-positions at the first position of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the map for visibility information for the first feature comprises querying the map for visibility information for the first feature based on a time of day.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the visibility information of the first feature at the first position of the vehicle is based on an occluding object associated with the first feature.

10. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform functions comprising:

storing a map for a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous operation mode that supports a plurality of driving behaviors, and wherein the map comprises information about a plurality of roads, a plurality of features, and visibility information for at least a first feature in the plurality of features;

querying the map for visibility information for the first feature at a first position of the vehicle, wherein the first position is associated with an intersection of at least two roads in the plurality of roads, wherein the visibility information comprises visibility information for a plurality of sub-positions of the vehicle, wherein at least one sub-position of the plurality of sub-positions is associated with a designated sub-lane position of a lane position of a lane of one road of the at least two roads, wherein the lane position is specified with respect to a plurality of sub-lane positions, the plurality of sub-lane positions comprising the designated sub-lane position, and wherein each sub-lane position in the plurality of sub-lane positions specifies a position within a width of the lane;

in response to the query, receiving the visibility information for the first feature at the first position of the vehicle;

selecting a driving behavior for the vehicle based on the visibility information; and

controlling the vehicle using the computing device in accordance with the selected driving behavior.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the one road of the at least two roads comprises a plurality of lanes, and for each lane in the plurality of lanes:

the plurality of sub-positions comprises a sub-position associated with a lane position of the lane.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the lane position is configured to be divided into a plurality of sub-lane positions.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the first position of the vehicle is further associated with both the lane position and a sub-lane position of the lane position.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the first feature is associated with a first traffic control device.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the first traffic control device is further associated with a second feature, wherein the first feature comprises a traffic light, and wherein the second feature comprises a turn-control signal.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the visibility information comprises a visibility index.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the first position of the vehicle is associated with the plurality of sub-positions, and wherein the visibility index comprises an ordering of best-to-worst sub-positions at the first position of the vehicle.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the visibility index comprises a visibility index of the first feature based on a time of day.

19. A computing device, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, configured to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to computing device to perform functions, comprising;

storing a map for a vehicle in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous operation mode that supports a plurality of driving behaviors, and wherein the map comprises information about a plurality of roads, a plurality of features, and visibility information for at least a first feature in the plurality of features,

querying the map for visibility information for the first feature at a first position of the vehicle, wherein the first position is associated with an intersection of at least two roads in the plurality of roads, wherein the visibility information comprises visibility information for a plurality of sub-positions of the vehicle, wherein at least one sub-position of the plurality of sub-positions is associated with a designated sub-lane position of a lane position of a lane of one road of the at least two roads, wherein the lane position is specified with respect to a plurality of sub-lane positions, the plurality of sub-lane positions comprising the designated sub-lane position, and wherein each sub-lane position in the plurality of sub-lane positions specifies a position within a width of the lane,

in response to the query, receiving the visibility information for the first feature at the first position of the vehicle,

selecting a driving behavior for the vehicle based on the visibility information, and

controlling the vehicle in accordance with the selected driving behavior.