Autonomous vehicles

• US 9,983,582 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nemec, Philip, Aula, Anne Kristiina, Lu, David Tse-Zhou, Cullinane, Brian Douglas, Johnson, Calvin Karl, Shane, Albert, Ludwick, Christopher Kennedy, Ahn, YooJung
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiswanto, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US15/176,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20160349750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/122 Instrument input devices with reconfigurable control functions, e.g. reconfigurable menus
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/128 Axially displaceable input devices for instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/175 Autonomous driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/682 Arrangements to cover or hide instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00253 Taxi operations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/007 Emergency override Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2302/05 Leading to automatic stopping of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• 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 1/02 : Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 : specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 : with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 : Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle for maneuvering a passenger to a destination autonomously. The vehicle includes one or more computing devices and a set of user input buttons for communicating requests to stop the vehicle and to initiate a trip to the destination with the one or more computing devices. The set of user input buttons consisting essentially of a dual-purpose button and an emergency stopping button different from the dual-purpose button configured to stop the vehicle. The dual-purpose button has a first purpose for communicating a request to initiate the trip to the destination and a second purpose for communicating a request to pull the vehicle over and stop the vehicle. The vehicle has no steering wheel and no user inputs for the steering, acceleration, and deceleration of the vehicle other than the set of user input buttons.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a vehicle, the method comprising:

displaying a first indicator at a user input button to indicate the availability of a first command state for the user input button, wherein when the user input button is in the first command state, input at the user input button initiates an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle;

receiving first user input at the user input button;

in response to receiving the first user input at the user input button, controlling the vehicle, by one or more processors, in the autonomous driving mode;

in response to the first user input at the user input button, changing the display of the first indicator to a display of a second indicator to indicate the availability of a second command state for the user input button;

when the user input button is in the second command state, receiving second user input at the user input button; and

in response to the second user input, stopping, by the one or more processors, the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stopping the vehicle includes pulling the vehicle over to a side of a roadway and stopping movement of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, determining, by the one or more processors, that the vehicle is ready for the autonomous driving mode, and wherein displaying the first indicator occurs after determining that the vehicle is ready for the autonomous driving mode.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, in conjunction with displaying the first indicator, changing the state of the user input button from an inactive state to the first command state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after receiving the second user input, changing the state of the user input button from the second command state to the first command state.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, after receiving the second user input, changing the display of the second indicator back to the first indicator to indicate the change in the state of the user input button from the second command state to the first command state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein stopping the vehicle includes bringing the vehicle to a stop within a predetermined period of time associated with the second command state.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, receiving user input at a second user input button configured to communicate a request to stop the vehicle within a second predetermined period of time less than the predetermined period of time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second command state corresponds to pulling the vehicle over such that the second user input corresponds to a request to pull the vehicle over.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving information identifying a destination from a client computing device associated with a passenger, such that controlling the vehicle includes maneuvering the vehicle to the destination.

11. A method for controlling a vehicle, the method comprising:

displaying a first indicator at a first user input button to indicate the availability of a first command state for the first user input button, wherein when the first user input button is in the first command state, input at the first user input button initiates an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle;

after displaying the first indicator, receiving first user input at the first user input button;

in response to the first user input at the first user input button, controlling the vehicle, by one or more processors, in the autonomous driving mode;

in response to receiving the first user input at the first user input button, changing the first indicator to indicate a new inactive state for the first user input button and displaying a second indicator at a second user input button to indicate the availability of a second command state;

after displaying the second indicator and receiving the first user input, receiving second user input at the second user input button; and

in response to receiving the second user input, stopping, by the one or more processors, the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the stopping the vehicle includes pulling the vehicle over to a side of a roadway and stopping movement of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, that the vehicle is ready for the autonomous driving mode, and wherein displaying the first indicator occurs after determining that the vehicle is ready for the autonomous driving mode.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in conjunction with changing the first indicator, changing the state of the first user input button to the inactive state.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising, in conjunction with displaying the second indicator, changing the state of the second user input button from an inactive state to the second command state.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein stopping the vehicle includes bringing the vehicle to a stop within a predetermined period of time associated with the second command state.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, receiving user input at a third user input button configured to communicate a request to stop the vehicle within a second predetermined period of time less than the predetermined period of time.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising, after receiving the second user input, changing the first indicator from the new state to indicate the availability of the first command state for the user input button.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the second command state corresponds to pulling the vehicle over such that the second user input corresponds to a request to pull the vehicle over.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising, receiving information identifying a destination from a client computing device associated with a passenger, such that controlling the vehicle includes maneuvering the vehicle to the destination.