Reporting road event data and sharing with other vehicles

• US 9,947,224 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fairfield, Nathaniel, Herbach, Joshua Seth, Chatham, Andrew Hughes, Montemerlo, Michael Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Wilson
• Application Number:
  US15/377,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20170092131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 an information report relating to a driving condition, wherein the information report is autonomously generated by a processing system of an autonomous vehicle within a fleet of autonomous vehicles;

receiving sensor data representative of a surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle from at least one sensor on the autonomous vehicle;

determining an importance of information contained within the information report to the fleet of autonomous vehicles;

based on the importance of the information contained within the information report to the fleet of autonomous vehicles, providing for display of a control menu that allows for validation of the information report on a user interface of a computing device that is remote from the autonomous vehicle, wherein the user interface displays a representation of the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle based on the received sensor data;

receiving input data from the user interface indicating validation of the information report;

after receiving the input data from the user interface indicating the validation of the information report, determining a driving information map that includes the validated information report; and

providing portions of the driving information map to one or more other autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a proposed mode of operation for the autonomous vehicle to proceed when encountering the driving condition; and

determining the driving information map to include the proposed mode of operation with the validated information report.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving the proposed mode of operation for the autonomous vehicle via the user interface.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the autonomous vehicle successfully traversed an obstacle associated with the driving condition using the proposed mode of operation; and

determining the driving information map to include the proposed mode of operation with the validated information report based on determining that the autonomous vehicle successfully traversed the obstacle associated with the driving condition using the proposed mode of operation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing for display within the user interface of a video stream showing the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle while providing for display of the control menu.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically filtering the driving information map to remove outdated information reports.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing one or more duplicate information reports from the driving information map.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing instructions to cause one or more autonomous vehicles from the fleet to investigate the information report before determining the driving information map to include the validated information report.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the instructions to cause the one or more autonomous vehicles from the fleet to investigate the information report based on at least one of a confidence in the information report and an importance of the information report.

10. A system comprising:

a fleet of autonomous vehicles; and

a control system, comprising a processor, wherein the control system is configured to;

receive an information report relating to a driving condition, wherein the information report is autonomously generated by a processing system of an autonomous vehicle within the fleet of autonomous vehicles;

receive sensor data representative of a surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle from at least one sensor on the autonomous vehicle;

determine a confidence metric associated with the information report, wherein the confidence metric is indicative of a level of confidence in information contained within the information report;

determine that the confidence metric is below a predetermined level;

based on determining that the confidence metric is below the predetermined level, provide for display of a control menu that allows for validation of the information report on a user interface of a computing device that is remote from the autonomous vehicle, wherein the user interface displays a representation of the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle based on the received sensor data;

receive input data from the user interface indicating validation of the information report;

after receiving the input data from the user interface indicating the validation of the information report, determine a driving information map that includes the validated information report; and

provide portions of the driving information map to one or more other autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles.

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

determine a proposed mode of operation for the autonomous vehicle to proceed when encountering the driving condition; and

determine the driving information map to include the proposed mode of operation with the validated information report.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is further configured to receive the proposed mode of operation for the autonomous vehicle via the user interface.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the control system is further configured to provide instructions to cause one or more autonomous vehicles from the fleet to investigate the information report before determining the driving information map to include the validated information report.

14. 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 an information report relating to a driving condition, wherein the information report is autonomously generated by a processing system of an autonomous vehicle within a fleet of autonomous vehicles;

receiving sensor data representative of a surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle from at least one sensor on the autonomous vehicle;

determining a confidence metric associated with the information report, wherein the confidence metric is indicative of a level of confidence in information contained within the information report;

determining that the confidence metric is below a predetermined level;

based on determining that the confidence metric is below the predetermined level, providing for display of a control menu that allows for validation of the information report on a user interface of a computing device that is remote from the autonomous vehicle, wherein the user interface displays a representation of the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle based on the received sensor data;

receiving input data from the user interface indicating validation of the information report;

after receiving the input data from the user interface indicating the validation of the information report, determining a driving information map that includes the validated information report; and

providing portions of the driving information map to one or more other autonomous vehicles within the fleet of autonomous vehicles.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, the functions further comprising:

determining a proposed mode of operation for the autonomous vehicle to proceed when encountering the driving condition; and

determining the driving information map to include the proposed mode of operation with the validated information report.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, the functions further comprising receiving the proposed mode of operation for the autonomous vehicle via the user interface.