Using other vehicle trajectories to aid autonomous vehicles driving through partially known areas

• US 9,355,562 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ferguson, David I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jos, Basil T
• Application Number:
  US13/585,344
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/02 Steering position indicators ; Steering position determination; Steering aids
• 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: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Methods and devices for controlling a vehicle in an autonomous mode are disclosed. In one aspect, an example method is disclosed that includes obtaining, by a computer system, lane information that provides an estimated location of a lane of a road on which a vehicle is travelling, where the computer system is configured to control the vehicle in an autonomous mode. The example method further includes determining, by the computer system, that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable and, in response to determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable, the computer system selecting a predetermined trajectory from a plurality of predetermined trajectories and controlling the vehicle to travel along the selected predetermined trajectory.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a computer system, lane information that provides an estimated location of a lane of a road on which a vehicle is travelling, wherein the computer system is configured to control the vehicle in an autonomous mode;

determining, by the computer system, that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable; and

in response to determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable, the computer system;

selecting a predetermined trajectory from a plurality of predetermined trajectories, wherein at least one of the plurality of predetermined trajectories is a combination of trajectories previously travelled by other vehicles, and

controlling the vehicle to travel along the selected predetermined trajectory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lane information is based on a predetermined map of the road.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable comprises detecting that the lane information is not included in the predetermined map of the road.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable comprises detecting that there is an error in the predetermined map.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the combination of trajectories previously travelled by other vehicles is a mean, a weighted mean, a truncated mean, a median, or a mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected predetermined trajectory is expressed in absolute geographic coordinates.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected predetermined trajectory is expressed relative to a predetermined location on the road.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the predetermined trajectory from the plurality of predetermined trajectories comprises reading the selected predetermined trajectory from data storage at the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the predetermined trajectory from the plurality of predetermined trajectories comprises:

querying a server for the plurality of predetermined trajectories;

receiving the plurality of predetermined trajectories;

storing the plurality of predetermined trajectories in data storage; and

reading the selected predetermined trajectory from data storage at the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically obtaining, by a computer system, updated lane information that provides an updated estimated location of the lane;

determining, by the computer system, that the updated lane information has become reliable; and

in response to determining that the updated lane information has become reliable, ceasing to control the vehicle to travel along the selected predetermined trajectory.

11. A vehicle comprising:

at least one processor; and

data storage comprising (i) a plurality of predetermined trajectories and (ii) instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause a computer system to perform functions comprising;

obtaining lane information that provides an estimated location of a lane of a road on which a vehicle is travelling, wherein the computer system is configured to control the vehicle in an autonomous mode;

determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable; and

in response to determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable;

selecting a predetermined trajectory from a plurality of predetermined trajectories, wherein at least one of the plurality of predetermined trajectories is a combination of trajectories previously travelled by other vehicles, and

controlling the vehicle to travel along the selected predetermined trajectory.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the lane information is based on a predetermined map of the road.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, further comprising a location sensor configured to determine a location of the vehicle within the predetermined map of the road.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable comprises detecting that the lane information is not included in the predetermined map of the road.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable comprises detecting that there is an error in the predetermined map.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, further comprising a sensor configured to sense information about an environment surrounding the vehicle, wherein detecting that there is an error in the predetermined map comprises detecting that the sensed information contradicts the predetermined map.

17. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a web-based interface configured to send to a server a query for the plurality of predetermined trajectories and receive from the server the plurality of predetermined trajectories.

18. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the combination of trajectories previously travelled by other vehicles is a mean, a weighted mean, a truncated mean, a median, or a mode.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

obtaining lane information that provides an estimated location of a lane of a road on which a vehicle is travelling, wherein the computing device is configured to control the vehicle in an autonomous mode;

determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable; and

in response to determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable, the computer system;

selecting a predetermined trajectory from a plurality of predetermined trajectories, wherein at least one of the plurality of predetermined trajectories is a combination of trajectories previously travelled by other vehicles, and

controlling the vehicle to travel along the selected predetermined trajectory.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the combination of trajectories previously travelled by other vehicles is a mean, a weighted mean, a truncated mean, a median, or a mode.