Reporting road event data and sharing with other vehicles

• US 9,547,989 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fairfield, Nathaniel, Herbach, Joshua Seth, Chatham, Andrew Hughes, Montemerlo, Michael Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Wilson
• Application Number:
  US14/196,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0287 involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

Example systems and methods allow for reporting and sharing of information reports relating to driving conditions within a fleet of autonomous vehicles. One example method includes receiving information reports relating to driving conditions from a plurality of autonomous vehicles within a fleet of autonomous vehicles. The method may also include receiving sensor data from a plurality of autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles. The method may further include validating some of the information reports based at least in part on the sensor data. The method may additionally include combining validated information reports into a driving information map. The method may also include periodically filtering the driving information map to remove outdated information reports. The method may further include providing portions of the driving information map to autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving information reports relating to driving conditions from a plurality of autonomous vehicles within a fleet of autonomous vehicles;

receiving sensor data from the plurality of autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles;

validating some of the information reports based on the sensor data;

determining confidence metrics associated with information reports, wherein a confidence metric associated with an information report indicates a level of confidence in information contained within the information report;

validating information reports with associated confidence metrics above a threshold level;

combining validated information reports into a driving information map;

periodically filtering the driving information map to remove outdated information reports; and

providing portions of the driving information map to autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold level is varied for individual information reports based on a level of importance of information contained within the individual information reports.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting validation of some of the information reports from a human assistor before combining the information reports into the driving information map.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing for display of one or more captured images within a user interface presented to the human assistor to use in validating the information reports.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein information reports are validated after receiving a certain number of information reports relating to a particular driving condition within a certain time window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the information reports comprises removing duplicate information reports.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining proposed solutions to certain driving conditions associated with one or more of the information reports; and

providing the proposed solutions to autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending one or more vehicles to an area in order to validate an information report.

9. A system comprising:

a processor;

a control system configured to;

receive information reports relating to driving conditions from a plurality of autonomous vehicles within a fleet of autonomous vehicles;

receive sensor data from the plurality of autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles;

validate some of the information reports based on the sensor data;

determine confidence metrics associated with information reports, wherein a confidence metric associated with an information report indicates a level of confidence in information contained within the information report;

validate information reports with associated confidence metrics above a threshold level;

combine validated information reports into a driving information map;

periodically filter the driving information map to remove outdated information reports; and

provide portions of the driving information map to autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the control system is further configured to:

request validation of some of the information reports from a human assistor before combining the information reports into the driving information map.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the control system is configured to validate an information report after receiving a certain number of information reports relating to a particular driving condition within a certain time window.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions, that when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform functions comprising:

receiving information reports relating to driving conditions from a plurality of autonomous vehicles within a fleet of autonomous vehicles;

receiving sensor data from the plurality of autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles;

validating some of the information reports based on the sensor data;

determining confidence metrics associated with information reports, wherein a confidence metric associated with an information report indicates a level of confidence in information contained within the information report;

validating information reports with associated confidence metrics above a threshold level;

combining validated information reports into a driving information map;

periodically filtering the driving information map to remove outdated information reports; and

providing portions of the driving information map to autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions, that when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a function comprising:

requesting validation of some of the information reports from a human assistor before combining the information reports into the driving information map.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions, that when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a function comprising:

sending one or more of the autonomous vehicles from the fleet of autonomous vehicles to an area in order to validate an information report.