Coordination of dispatching and maintaining fleet of autonomous vehicles

• US 9,958,864 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoox Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Zoox Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kentley-Klay, Timothy David, Gamara, Rachad Youssef
• Primary Examiner(s): Mahne, Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US14/756,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20170123421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4972 Alignment of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• 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: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/30 Transportation; Communications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 : Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computer software and systems, and wired and wireless network communications to provide an autonomous vehicle fleet as a service. More specifically, systems, devices, and methods are configured to manage a fleet of autonomous vehicles. In particular, a method may include determining destination locations for autonomous vehicles, calculating, at an autonomous vehicle service platform, delivery locations to which the autonomous vehicles are directed, identifying data to implement a delivery location associated with an autonomous vehicle, and transmitting data representing a command to the autonomous vehicle. The command may be configured to cause navigation of the autonomous vehicle to the delivery location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a destination location for an autonomous vehicle of a plurality of autonomous vehicles;

determining a plurality of origination locations to which the plurality of autonomous vehicles are to be directed;

maintaining policy data for selecting individual autonomous vehicles of the plurality of autonomous vehicles to service respective requests associated with the plurality of origination locations, the policy data including one or more of;

a distance that the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed to maintain from external objects;

one or more types of road lines that the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed not to cross;

one or more lanes in which the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed to travel;

or

one or more road segments or intersections that the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed to bypass;

generating routing data that indicates at least a route from the destination location of the autonomous vehicle to an origination location of the plurality of origination locations;

selecting the autonomous vehicle to navigate to the origination location based at least in part on the routing data and the policy data;

generating command data for the autonomous vehicle using the routing data; and

sending the command data to the autonomous vehicle, the command data causing the autonomous vehicle to navigate to the origination location via the route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of origination locations comprises:

determining the plurality of origination locations for a geo-fenced region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a computing device, a request for transportation by one of the plurality of autonomous vehicles; and

determining a location associated with the computing device,

wherein determining the plurality of origination locations comprises determining at least the origination location based at least in part on the location associated with the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in a routing characteristic associated with a portion of a first route between the autonomous vehicle and the destination location;

identifying a second route for the autonomous vehicle;

generating additional command data for the autonomous vehicle; and

sending the additional command data to the autonomous vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

the additional command data causes the autonomous vehicle to navigate via the second route to the destination location.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional command data causes the autonomous vehicle to navigate via the second route to another destination location.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a teleoperator command via a teleoperator computing device to send the additional command data to the autonomous vehicle, wherein the additional command data causes the autonomous vehicle to navigate via the second route.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a computing device, a request for transportation by one of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

determining a location associated with the computing device;

selecting an additional autonomous vehicle to service the request for transportation, the additional autonomous vehicle being located at a station;

generating additional command data for the additional autonomous vehicle, the additional command data configured to cause the additional autonomous vehicle to navigate from the station to the location; and

sending the additional command data to the additional autonomous vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the origination location as a region at which to park the autonomous vehicle, the region comprising an area in which the autonomous vehicle may safely transition from a drive state to a standby power state; and

identifying an absence of a request for transportation for the autonomous vehicle,

wherein the command data further instructs the autonomous vehicle to transition from the drive state to the standby state.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an absence of a request for transportation for the autonomous vehicle,

wherein the command data further instructs the autonomous vehicle to transition from a first power state to a second power state, wherein the first power state is associated with a drive mode for the autonomous vehicle and the second power state is associated with a standby mode for the autonomous vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an additional destination location for an additional autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

identifying additional routing data that indicates at least an additional route from the additional destination location of the additional autonomous vehicle to the origination location;

determining a first time associated with the autonomous vehicle navigating to the origination location via the route;

determining a second time associated with the additional autonomous vehicle navigating to the origination location via the additional route; and

determining that the first time is less than the second time;

wherein selecting the autonomous vehicle is further based at least in part on determining that the first time is less than the second time.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating fleet management data associated with the autonomous vehicle; and

identifying one or more values of an autonomous vehicle characteristic,

wherein the routing data further indicates the one or more values of the autonomous vehicle characteristic.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles includes a same type of autonomous vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from a teleoperator computing device, an update to the policy data for selecting the individual autonomous vehicles.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from a teleoperator computing device, a new policy to add to the policy data for selecting the individual autonomous vehicles.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy data further includes:

one or more types of road lines that the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed not to cross;

one or more lanes in which the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed to travel; and

one or more road segments or intersections that the individual autonomous vehicles are instructed to bypass.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a first distance to a parking area is less than a second distance to an autonomous vehicle station;

determining to cause the autonomous vehicle to navigate to the parking area based at least in part on the first distance being less than the second distance;

causing the autonomous vehicle to park in the parking area, wherein the parking area is located along an additional route; and

causing the autonomous vehicle to transition from a first state of operation to a second state of operation.

18. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices including one or more processors, the one or more computing devices configured to;

determine a first destination location for a first autonomous vehicle of a plurality of autonomous vehicles;

determine a second destination location for a second autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

determine a plurality of origination locations to which the plurality of autonomous vehicles are to be directed;

identify first routing data that indicates at least a first route from a current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the first destination location and a second route from the first destination location to an origination location of the plurality of origination locations;

identify second routing data that indicates at least a third route from a current location of the second autonomous vehicle to the second destination location and a fourth route from the second destination location to the origination location;

determine one or more routing metrics for optimizing routing of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

select the first autonomous vehicle to navigate to the origination location based at least in part on the first routing data, the second routing data, and the one or more routing metrics;

generate command data for the first autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the first routing data; and

send the command data to the first autonomous vehicle, the command data instructing the first autonomous vehicle to navigate to the origination location via the first route and the second route.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

receive, from a computing device, a request for transportation by one of the plurality of autonomous vehicles; and

determine a location associated with the computing device,

wherein determining the plurality of origination locations comprises at least determining the origination location based at least in part on the location associated with the computing device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

detect a change in a routing characteristic associated with a portion of the first route between the first autonomous vehicle and the first destination location;

identify a fifth route for the first autonomous vehicle;

generate additional command data for the first autonomous vehicle, the additional command data configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to navigate via the fifth route and the second route; and

send the additional command data to the first autonomous vehicle.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

identify the origination location as a region at which to park the autonomous vehicle, and

wherein the command data further instructs the first autonomous vehicle to transition from a first power state to a second power state, wherein the first power state is associated with a drive mode for the first autonomous vehicle and the second power state is associated with a standby mode for the first autonomous vehicle.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more routing metrics include one or more of:

instructions to minimize travel times of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

instructions to minimize a number of autonomous vehicles in service per unit distance;

instructions to minimize aggregated costs of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

instructions to minimize battery discharge per unit distance traveled of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

instructions to maximize distance of travel per unit battery charge of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

instructions to maximize times during which the plurality of autonomous vehicles are transporting passengers against times during which the plurality of autonomous vehicles are inoperable;

instructions to minimize an amount of teleoperator hours to facilitate routing of the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

or

instructions to minimize power consumption of the plurality of autonomous vehicles.