Determining and displaying auto drive lanes in an autonomous vehicle

• US 9,534,918 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nemec, Philip, Cullinane, Brian Douglas, Clement, Manuel Christian, Mariet, Robertus Christianus Elisabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worden, Tommy
• Application Number:
  US14/665,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20150192428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, using a geographic position component within a vehicle in communication with a computer, a vehicle location;

accessing, by one or more processors of the computer, detailed map information identifying the locations of autodrive lanes based on at least the detected location, 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 the computer;

identifying, by the one or more processors, at least two autodrive lanes based on at least the detailed map information;

generating, by the processor, display information based on the at least two autodrive lanes, the display information including lanes and identifying which of the lanes are the at least two autodrive lanes; and

providing, by the one or more processors, the display information for display to the driver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the display information when the vehicle is not being operated in the autonomous driving mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display information further includes indicators which identify which of the lanes are not the at least two autodrive lanes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a first one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently available for the autonomous driving mode, and

wherein generating the display information includes generating a first indicator that identifies the first one of the at least two autodrive lanes as currently available for the autonomous driving mode.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that a second one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently unavailable for the autonomous driving mode, and

wherein generating the display information includes generating a second indicator that identifies the second one of the at least two autodrive lanes as currently unavailable for the autonomous driving mode.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the second one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently unavailable is based on a route selected by the driver and determining that a first one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently available is based on the route.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first indicator includes a first color and the second indicator includes a second color different from the first color.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a first one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently available for the autonomous driving mode, and

wherein generating the display information includes generating a first indicator that identifies the second one of the at least two autodrive lanes as currently available for the autonomous driving mode.

19. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that a second one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently unavailable for the autonomous driving mode, and

wherein generating the display information includes generating a second indicator that identifies the first one of the at least two autodrive lanes as currently unavailable for the autonomous driving mode.

20. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the second one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently unavailable is based on a route selected by the driver and determining that a first one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently available is based on the route.

8. A system comprising at least one computer having one or more processors configured to:

detect, using a geographic position component within a vehicle in communication with the computer, a vehicle location;

access detailed map information identifying the locations of autodrive lanes based on at least the detected location, 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 the computer;

identify at least two autodrive lanes based on at least the detailed map information;

generate display information based on the at least two autodrive lanes, the display information including lanes and identifying which of the lanes are the at least two autodrive lanes; and

provide the display information for display to the driver.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a display device for display the display information to the driver.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide the display information for display on the display device when the vehicle is not being operated in the autonomous driving mode.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the display information further includes indicators which identify which of the lanes are not the at least two autodrive lanes.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that a first one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently available for the autonomous driving mode, and

to further generate the display information by generating a first indicator that identifies the first one of the at least two autodrive lanes as currently available for the autonomous driving mode.

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

determine that a second one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently unavailable for the autonomous driving mode, and

to further generate the display information by generating a second indicator that identifies the second one of the at least two autodrive lanes as currently unavailable for the autonomous driving mode.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine that the second one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently unavailable is based on a route selected by the driver and determining that a first one of the at least two autodrive lanes is currently available is based on the route.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first indicator includes a first color and the second indicator includes a second color different from the first color.

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

detecting, using a geographic position component within a vehicle in communication with the computer, a vehicle location;

accessing detailed map information identifying the locations of autodrive lanes based on at least the detected location, 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 the computer;

identifying at least two autodrive lanes based on at least the detailed map information;

generating display information based on the at least two autodrive lanes, the display information including lanes and identifying which of the lanes are the at least two autodrive lanes; and

providing the display information for display to the driver.