Augmented trajectories for autonomous vehicles

• US 9,933,784 B1
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Herbach, Joshua Seth, Fairfield, Nathaniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancho, Ronnie
• Application Number:
  US15/372,071
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 701 26
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/20 Static objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• 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: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/001 Planning or execution of driving tasks
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• 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: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle may include a stuck condition detection component and a communications component. The stuck-detection component may be configured to detect a condition in which the autonomous vehicle is impeded from navigating according to a first trajectory. The communications component may send an assistance signal to an assistance center and receive a response to the assistance signal. The assistance signal may include sensor information from the autonomous vehicle. The assistance center may include a communications component and a trajectory specification component. The communications component may receive the assistance signal and send a corresponding response. The trajectory specification component may specify a second trajectory for the autonomous vehicle and generate the corresponding response that includes a representation of the second trajectory. The second trajectory may be based on the first trajectory and may ignore an object that obstructs the first trajectory.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a transceiver of an autonomous vehicle, an assistance signal to an assistance center, wherein the assistance signal indicates that the autonomous vehicle seeks assistance while navigating according to a first trajectory;

receiving, by the transceiver of the autonomous vehicle, a request for navigational information from the assistance center;

transmitting, by the transceiver of the autonomous vehicle, the requested navigational information to the assistance center, wherein the requested navigational information indicates representations of objects in a vicinity of the autonomous vehicle; and

receiving, by the transceiver of the autonomous vehicle, a response to the assistance signal, wherein the response includes a representation of a second trajectory that intersects the first trajectory at one or more points, and wherein the transceiver is controlled by a processor of the autonomous vehicle to perform the transmitting and receiving.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second trajectory ignores a presence of at least one object that obstructs the first trajectory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second trajectory is different from the first trajectory and the second trajectory intersects the first trajectory at two or more points.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational information comprises high-level, polyhedral representations of the objects that are based at least in part on low-level laser strike input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational information comprises still images, video data, or audio data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational information comprises a proposed trajectory that intersects the first trajectory at two or more points, wherein the proposed trajectory is generated by the autonomous vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second trajectory and the proposed trajectory are identical.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second trajectory comprises a modified version of the proposed trajectory.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle is an automobile, and wherein at least one of the objects in the vicinity of the autonomous vehicle is an automobile traffic signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle is an automobile, and wherein at least one of the objects in the vicinity of the autonomous vehicle is a roadway boundary.

11. An autonomous vehicle comprising:

at least one processor;

memory; and

program instructions, stored in the memory, that upon execution by the at least one processor cause the autonomous vehicle to perform operations comprising;

transmitting an assistance signal to an assistance center, wherein the assistance signal indicates that the autonomous vehicle seeks assistance while navigating according to a first trajectory;

receiving a request for navigational information from the assistance center;

transmitting the requested navigational information to the assistance center, wherein the requested navigational information indicates representations of objects in a vicinity of the autonomous vehicle; and

receiving a response to the assistance signal, wherein the response includes a representation of a second trajectory that intersects the first trajectory at one or more points.

12. The autonomous vehicle of claim 11, wherein the second trajectory ignores a presence of at least one object that obstructs the first trajectory.

13. The autonomous vehicle of claim 11, wherein the second trajectory is different from the first trajectory and the second trajectory intersects the first trajectory at two or more points.

14. The autonomous vehicle of claim 11, wherein the navigational information comprises high-level, polyhedral representations of the objects that are based at least in part on low-level laser strike input.

15. The autonomous vehicle of claim 11, wherein the navigational information comprises still images, video data, or audio data.

16. The autonomous vehicle of claim 11, wherein the navigational information comprises a proposed trajectory that intersects the first trajectory at two or more points, wherein the proposed trajectory is generated by the autonomous vehicle.

17. The autonomous vehicle of claim 16, wherein the second trajectory and the proposed trajectory are identical.

18. The autonomous vehicle of claim 16, wherein the second trajectory comprises a modified version of the proposed trajectory.

19. The autonomous vehicle of claim 11, wherein the autonomous vehicle is an automobile, and wherein at least one of the objects in the vicinity of the autonomous vehicle is an automobile traffic signal.

20. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a computing device of an autonomous vehicle, cause the autonomous vehicle to perform operations comprising:

transmitting an assistance signal to an assistance center, wherein the assistance signal indicates that the autonomous vehicle seeks assistance while navigating according to a first trajectory;

receiving a request for navigational information from the assistance center;

transmitting the requested navigational information to the assistance center, wherein the requested navigational information indicates representations of objects in a vicinity of the autonomous vehicle; and

receiving a response to the assistance signal, wherein the response includes a representation of a second trajectory that intersects the first trajectory at one or more points.