Parking for self-driving car

• US 9,919,704 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maplebear Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kundu, Ashish, Pickover, Clifford A., Vukovic, Maja, Weldemariam, Komminist
• Primary Examiner(s): Frejd, Russell
• Application Number:
  US15/418,107
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/20 Static objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/586 of parking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/257 Colour aspects

Abstract

A self-driving car includes a vehicle body; wheels mounted on the vehicle body for moving the car; brakes mounted on the vehicle body for stopping the wheels; a steering apparatus connected between the vehicle body and at least some of the wheels for steering the wheels; sensors configured to detect environmental parameters; and a processor that is configured to facilitate at least an autonomous parking module for controlling the wheels, brakes, and steering apparatus. The processor is further configured as part of the autonomous parking module to scan the surroundings of the self-driving car, using at least one of the sensors, in order to detect a road hazard proximate a door of the self-driving car.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

facilitating an autonomous parking module of a self-driving car;

facilitating a road hazard identification module that scans the surroundings of the self-driving car, using at least one sensor of the self-driving car, to identify a road hazard proximate a door of the self-driving car; and

ameliorating the road hazard by adjusting the autonomous parking module to reposition the self-driving car in order to offset the door of the self-driving car from the road hazard.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein ameliorating the road hazard further comprises:

facilitating a planning module that detects at least one parameter of a vehicle occupant; and

selecting an action to ameliorate the road hazard, in response to the at least one parameter of the vehicle occupant.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one parameter of the vehicle occupant includes apparel of the vehicle occupant.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving an RFID signal from the apparel of the vehicle occupant.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one parameter of the vehicle occupant includes health of the vehicle occupant.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one parameter of the vehicle occupant includes pregnancy of the vehicle occupant.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one parameter of the vehicle occupant includes a schedule of the vehicle occupant.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining the schedule by accessing an electronic calendar.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one parameter of the vehicle occupant is detected through voice recognition.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein ameliorating the road hazard further includes constructing a cost function to identify an optimal ameliorating action.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein ameliorating the road hazard further includes issuing an audio, visual, or tactile warning to a vehicle occupant.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the road hazard includes analyzing image data using a deep neural net.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein scanning the surroundings is done from outside the body of the self-driving car.

14. A self-driving car comprising:

a vehicle body;

wheels mounted on the vehicle body for moving the car;

brakes mounted on the vehicle body for stopping the wheels;

a steering apparatus connected between the vehicle body and at least some of the wheels for steering the wheels;

sensors configured to detect environmental parameters; and

a processor that is configured to facilitate at least an autonomous parking module for controlling the wheels, brakes, and steering apparatus,

wherein the processor is further configured to facilitate a road hazard identification module that scans the surroundings of the self-driving car, using at least one of the sensors, in order to detect a road hazard proximate a door of the self-driving car, and to facilitate a planning module for ameliorating the road hazard, wherein ameliorating the road hazard includes repositioning the self-driving car to offset the door of the self-driving car from the road hazard.

15. The self-driving car of claim 14 wherein ameliorating the road hazard includes issuing a warning to a vehicle occupant.

16. The self-driving car of claim 14, wherein at least one of the sensors is disposed adjacent a door of the car.

17. A self-driving car comprising:

a vehicle body;

wheels mounted on the vehicle body for moving the car;

brakes mounted on the vehicle body for stopping the wheels;

a steering apparatus connected between the vehicle body and at least some of the wheels for steering the wheels;

sensors configured to detect environmental parameters;

a bridge or ramp mounted adjacent a door of the self-driving car; and

a processor that is configured to facilitate at least an autonomous parking module for controlling the wheels, brakes, and steering apparatus,

wherein the processor is further configured to facilitate a road hazard identification module that scans the surroundings of the self-driving car, using at least one of the sensors, in order to detect a road hazard proximate the door of the self-driving car, and to facilitate a planning module for ameliorating the road hazard, wherein ameliorating the road hazard includes activating the bridge or ramp to span the road hazard from the door of the car.

18. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to:

facilitate an autonomous parking module of a self-driving car;

facilitate a road hazard identification module that scans the surroundings of the self-driving car, using at least one sensor of the self-driving car, to identify a road hazard proximate a door of the self-driving car; and

facilitate ameliorating the road hazard by adjusting the autonomous parking module to reposition the self-driving car in order to offset the door of the self-driving car from the road hazard.