Automated co-pilot control for autonomous vehicles

• US 9,971,352 B1
• Filed: 11/17/2016
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Mudalige, Upali P., Sundaram, Padma
• Primary Examiner(s): Paige, Tyler
• Application Number:
  US15/353,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 701 28
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0215 Sensor drifts or sensor failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• 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 50/023 Avoiding failures by using redundant parts
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0077 using redundant signals or controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0253 extracting relative motion information from a plurality of images taken successively, e.g. visual odometry, optical flow determining position or orientation from images G06T7/70
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A control system for a vehicle includes at least one controller. The controller is programmed to receive first sensor readings from a first group of sensors and provide a first vehicle pose based on the first sensor readings. The first vehicle pose includes a first location and a first orientation of the vehicle. The controller is also programmed to receive second sensor readings from a second group of sensors and provide a second vehicle pose based on the second sensor readings. The second vehicle pose includes a second location and a second orientation of the vehicle. The controller is further programmed to, in response to the first vehicle pose being outside a predetermined range of the second vehicle pose, generate a diagnostic signal.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle comprising:

a plurality of sensors configured to detect external features in the vicinity of the automotive vehicle;

an actuator configured to control vehicle steering, acceleration, braking, or shifting; and

at least one controller in electronic communication with respective sensors of the plurality of sensors and the actuator, the at least one controller being programmed with an automated driving system control algorithm and configured to automatically control the actuator based on the automated driving system control algorithm, the automated driving control system algorithm including;

a first localization algorithm configured to receive first sensor readings from a first group of respective sensors of the plurality of sensors and provide a first vehicle pose based on the first sensor readings, the first vehicle pose including a first location and a first orientation of the vehicle,

a second localization algorithm configured to receive second sensor readings from a second group of respective sensors of the plurality of sensors and provide a second vehicle pose based on the second sensor readings, the second vehicle pose including a second location and a second orientation of the vehicle, and

a localization arbitration algorithm configured to, in response to the first vehicle pose being outside of a predetermined range of the second vehicle pose, generate a diagnostic signal.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to, in response to the first vehicle pose being within the predetermined range of the second vehicle pose, determine a primary vehicle pose among the first vehicle pose and the second vehicle pose, and control the actuator according to the automated driving system control algorithm based on the primary pose.

3. The automotive vehicle of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic signal includes a parameter representative of a difference between the first vehicle pose and the second vehicle pose.

4. The automotive vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to, in response to the diagnostic signal, control the actuator according to a fall back command.

5. The automotive vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller includes a first controller and a second controller, the first controller being programmed with the first localization algorithm and the second controller being programmed with the second localization algorithm.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first localization algorithm includes a visual-odometry-based pose estimation and the second localization algorithm includes a LiDAR-odometry-based pose estimation.

7. A method of controlling a vehicle, comprising:

providing the vehicle with a plurality of sensors configured to detect external features in the vicinity of the vehicle;

providing the vehicle with an actuator configured to control vehicle steering, throttle, braking, or shifting;

providing the vehicle with at least one controller in electronic communication with respective sensors of the plurality of sensors and the actuator, the at least one controller being programmed with an automated driving control system algorithm;

receiving, via the at least one controller, first sensor readings from a first group of respective sensors of the plurality of sensors;

determining, via the at least one controller, a first vehicle pose based on the first sensor readings, the first vehicle pose including a first location and a first orientation of the vehicle;

receiving, via the at least one controller, second sensor readings from a second group of respective sensors of the plurality of sensors;

determining, via the at least one controller, a second vehicle pose based on the second sensor readings, the second vehicle pose including a second location and a second orientation of the vehicle; and

in response to the first vehicle pose being outside of a predetermined range of the second vehicle pose, automatically generating a diagnostic signal.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, in response to the first vehicle pose being within the predetermined range of the second vehicle pose, determining, via the at least one controller, a primary vehicle pose among the first vehicle pose and the second vehicle pose, and controlling, via the at least one controller, the actuator according to the automated driving system control algorithm based on the primary pose.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the diagnostic signal includes a parameter representative of a difference between the first vehicle pose and the second vehicle pose.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising, in response to the diagnostic signal, automatically controlling the actuator according to a fall back command.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the vehicle with at least one controller includes providing the vehicle with a first controller and a second controller, receiving first sensor readings is performed via the first controller, determining a first vehicle pose is performed via the first controller, receiving second sensor readings is performed via the second controller, and determining a second vehicle pose is performed via the second controller.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein determining a first vehicle pose includes performing a visual-odometry-based pose estimation, and determining a second vehicle pose includes performing a LiDAR-odometry-based pose estimation.

13. A control system for a vehicle including at least one controller programmed to:

receive first sensor readings from a first group of sensors;

provide a first vehicle pose based on the first sensor readings, the first vehicle pose including a first location and a first orientation of the vehicle;

receive second sensor readings from a second group of sensors;

provide a second vehicle pose based on the second sensor readings, the second vehicle pose including a second location and a second orientation of the vehicle; and

in response to the first vehicle pose being outside a predetermined range of the second vehicle pose, generate a diagnostic signal.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to, in response to the first vehicle pose being within the predetermined range of the second vehicle pose, determine a primary vehicle pose among the first vehicle pose and the second vehicle pose, and control the actuator according to the automated driving system control algorithm based on the primary pose.

15. The control system of claim 13, wherein the diagnostic signal includes a parameter representative of a difference between the first vehicle pose and the second vehicle pose.

16. The control system of claim 13, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to, in response to the diagnostic signal, control at least one actuator according to a fall back command.