Leveraging of behavior of vehicles to detect likely presence of an emergency vehicle

• US 9,092,977 B1
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Levandowski, Anthony Scott, Cullinane, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US14/467,479
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701 23- 25, 701/117, 701/400, 701/409, 701/410, 701/420, 701/422, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/181 Preparing for stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18109 Braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

A controlled vehicle is provided that detects the presence of an emergency vehicle by monitoring the trajectories of vehicles that are sharing the road with the controlled vehicle. The controlled vehicle may determine that the trajectory of each of the monitored vehicles follows the same predetermined pattern. Based on detecting the predetermined pattern in the behavior of the monitored vehicles, the controlled vehicle may deduce that an emergency vehicle is present in the vicinity of the monitored vehicles and/or the controlled vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, sensor data corresponding to objects on a roadway in a vehicle'"'"'s environment;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a set of objects corresponding to one or more other vehicles from the sensor data;

determining, by the one or more processors, from the sensor data that each object of the set of objects pulled out of a lane and slowed down;

based on the determination that each object of the set of objects pulled out of a lane and slowed down, determining, by the one or more processors, that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that each object of the set of pulled out of a same lane, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane and onto a shoulder of the roadway, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane and onto the shoulder of the roadway.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane and onto a different lane of the roadway from the same lane, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane and onto the different lane of the roadway.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle is also in the same lane.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle is in a different lane from the same lane.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that each object of the set of objects pulled out of the same lane within a given period of time, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that each object of the set of objects pulled out of the same lane within the given period of time.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the given period of time based on a distance between two objects of the set of objects.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects in the set of objects a in an order including a first object behind a second object in the same lane, and the method further comprises:

determining that the first object has pulled out of the same lane before the second object has pulled out of the same lane, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that the first object has pulled out of the same lane before the second object has pulled out of the same lane.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of objects includes at least two objects.

11. A system comprising one or more processors configured to:

receive sensor data corresponding to objects on a roadway in a vehicle'"'"'s environment;

identify a set of objects corresponding to one or more other vehicles from the sensor data;

determine from the sensor data that each object of the set of objects pulled out of a lane and slowed down;

based on the determination that each object of the set of objects pulled out of a lane and slowed down, determine that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that each object of the set of pulled out of a same lane, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane and onto a shoulder of the roadway, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane and onto the shoulder of the roadway.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane and onto a different lane of the roadway from the same lane, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that each object of the set of pulled out of the same lane and onto the different lane of the roadway.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising the vehicle and wherein the vehicle is also in the same lane.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising the vehicle and wherein the vehicle is in a different lane from the same lane.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the objects in the set of objects a in an order including a first object behind a second object in the same lane, and the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that the first object has pulled out of the same lane before the second object has pulled out of the same lane, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that the first object has pulled out of the same lane before the second object has pulled out of the same lane.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that each object of the set of objects pulled out of the same lane within a given period of time, and

wherein determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway is further based on the determination that each object of the set of objects pulled out of the same lane within the given period of time.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising determining the given period of time based on a distance between two objects of the set of objects.

20. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data corresponding to objects on a roadway in a vehicle'"'"'s environment;

identifying a set of objects corresponding to one or more other vehicles from the sensor data;

determining from the sensor data that each object of the set of objects pulled out of a lane and slowed down;

based on the determination that each object of the set of objects pulled out of a lane and slowed down, determining that an emergency vehicle is present on the roadway.