Determining and displaying auto drive lanes in an autonomous vehicle

• US 9,008,961 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nemec, Philip, Cullinane, Brian, Clement, Manuel Christian, Mariet, Robertus Christianus Elisabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worden, Tommy
• Application Number:
  US13/792,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• US Class Current: 701/430
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/221 Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/28 non-mechanical , e.g. following a line or other known markers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0295 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to identifying and displaying traffic lanes that are available for autonomous driving. This information may be displayed to a driver of a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode, in order to inform the driver of where he or she can use the autonomous driving mode. In one example, the display may visually distinguishing between lanes that are available for auto-drive from those that are not. The display may also include an indicator of the position of a lane (autodrive or not) currently occupied by the vehicle. In addition, if that lane is an autodrive lane the display may include information indicating how much further the vehicle may continue in the autonomous driving mode in that particular lane. The display may also display information indicating the remaining autodrive distance in other lanes as well as the lane with the greatest remaining autodrive distance.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data from a geographic position component;

determining a current location of a vehicle from the received data;

using the current location to access detailed map information identifying the locations of autodrive lanes, wherein each autodrive lane is a lane of a roadway pre-approved for an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle, the autonomous driving mode allowing a driver to relinquish control of the vehicle to a computer;

identifying at least two autodrive lanes currently available for the autonomous driving mode based on the detailed map information;

using, by a processor, the at least two autodrive lanes to generate autodrive information;

determining a distance available for autonomous driving for each of the at least two autodrive lanes based on the detailed map information;

selecting, based on the distances available for autonomous driving for each of the at least two autodrive lanes, a longest lane available for the autonomous driving mode;

generating, by the processor, display information based on the autodrive information, the display information including lanes and identifying which of the lanes are the at least two autodrive lanes and an indicator identifying the longest lane available for the autonomous driving mode; and

displaying, on a display of the vehicle, the display information and at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining which lane the vehicle is currently located, and

wherein the display information includes an indicator indicating the lane in which the vehicle is currently located.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a route for navigating the vehicle; and

wherein determining the distances available for the autonomous driving mode for each of the at least two autodrive lanes is further based on the route.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying an icon for the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode, and wherein the display information includes the icon for the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode is further based on traffic information, and the method further comprises:

identifying an icon for the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode based on the traffic information, and

wherein the display information includes the icon for the remaining distance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the lanes of the display information include at least one lane that is not available for autonomous driving, and wherein the lanes of the at least two autodrive lanes are depicted in a color different from a color of the at least one lane that is not available for autonomous driving.

7. A system comprising:

a display for displaying information to a driver;

a processor configured to;

receive data from a geographic position component;

determine a current location of a vehicle from the received data;

use the current location to access detailed map information identifying the locations of autodrive lanes, wherein each autodrive lane is a lane of a roadway pre-approved for an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle, the autonomous driving mode allowing a driver to relinquish control of the vehicle to a computer;

identify at least two autodrive lanes currently available for the autonomous driving mode based on the detailed map information;

use the at least two autodrive lanes to generate autodrive information;

determine a distance available for autonomous driving for each of the at least two autodrive lanes based on the detailed map information;

select, based on the distances available for autonomous driving for each of the at least two autodrive lanes, a longest lane available for the autonomous driving mode;

generate display information based on the autodrive information, the display information including lanes and identifying which of the lanes are the at least two autodrive lanes and an indicator identifying the longest lane available for the autonomous driving mode; and

displaying, on the display, the display information and at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine in which lane the vehicle is currently located, and

wherein the display information includes an indicator indicating the lane in which the vehicle is currently located.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate a route for navigating the vehicle; and

wherein determining the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode is further based on the route.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to identify an icon for the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode based on the route, and the display information includes the icon for the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein determining the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode is further based on traffic information, and the processor is further configured to:

identify an icon for the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode based on the traffic information, and

wherein the display information includes the icon for the at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the lanes of the display information include at least one lane that is not available for autonomous driving, and the lanes of the at least two autodrive lanes are depicted in a color different from a color of the at least one lane that is not available for autonomous driving.

13. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving data from a geographic position component;

determining a current location of a vehicle from the received data;

using the current location to access detailed map information identifying the locations of autodrive lanes, wherein each autodrive lane is a lane of a roadway pre-approved for an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle, the autonomous driving mode allowing a driver to relinquish control of the vehicle to a computer;

identifying at least two autodrive lanes currently available for the autonomous driving mode based on the detailed map information;

using the at least two autodrive lanes to generate autodrive information;

determining a distance available for autonomous driving for each of the at least two autodrive lanes based on the detailed map information;

selecting, based on the distances available for autonomous driving for each of the at least two autodrive lanes, a longest lane available for the autonomous driving mode;

generating display information based on the autodrive information, the display information including lanes and identifying which of the lanes are the at least two autodrive lanes and an indicator identifying the longest lane available for the autonomous driving mode; and

displaying, on a display of the vehicle, the display information and at least one of the distances available for the autonomous driving mode.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

determining which lane the vehicle is currently located, and

wherein the display information includes an indicator indicating the lane in which the vehicle is currently located.

15. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

generating a route for navigating the vehicle; and

wherein determining the at least one distance available for the autonomous driving mode is further based on the route.

16. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprising identifying an icon for at least one distance available for the autonomous driving mode based on the route, and wherein the display information includes the icon for the at least one distance available for the autonomous driving mode.

17. The medium of claim 13, wherein determining the at least one distance available for the autonomous driving mode is further based on traffic information, and the method further comprises:

identifying an icon for the at least one distance available for the autonomous driving mode based on the traffic information, and

wherein the display information includes the icon for the at least one distance available for the autonomous driving mode.

18. The medium of claim 13, wherein the lanes of the display information include at least one lane that is not available for autonomous driving, and wherein the lanes of the at least two autodrive lanes are depicted in a color different from a color of the at least one lane that is not available for autonomous driving.