Autonomous vehicle application

• US 10,134,278 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2018
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Konrardy, Blake, Christensen, Scott T., Hayward, Gregory L., Farris, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US15/908,060
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• Field of Search: 340901, 340905, 705 4, 701300, 701301, 701400, 701408-411, 701415, 701418, 701419
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096708 where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• 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 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Methods and systems for communicating between autonomous vehicles are described herein. Such communication may be performed for signaling, collision avoidance, path coordination, and/or autonomous control. A computing device may receive data for the same road segment from autonomous vehicles, including (i) an indication of a location within the road segment, and (ii) an indication of a condition of the road segment. The computing device may generate, from the data for the same road segment, an overall indication of the condition of the road segment, which may include a recommendation to vehicles approaching the road segment. Additionally, the computing device may receive a request from a computing device within a vehicle approaching the road segment to display vehicle data. The overall indication for the road segment may then be displayed on a user interface of the computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for presenting vehicle data for a road segment based upon data collected from a plurality of vehicles each having one or more autonomous operation features, comprising:

receiving, at one or more processors, data corresponding to a same road segment on which each of the plurality of vehicles travelled, the data for each vehicle including (i) an indication of a location within the road segment, and (ii) an indication of a condition of the road segment at the location;

generating, by the one or more processors, from the data corresponding to the same road segment, an overall indication of the condition of the road segment, wherein the overall indication includes a recommendation to vehicles approaching the road segment;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a request to display vehicle data including the overall indication for the road segment from a computing device within a vehicle approaching the road segment; and

causing, by the one or more processors, the overall indication for the road segment to be displayed on a user interface of the computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the overall indication of the condition of the road segment includes a recommendation to change vehicle operation from a manual mode to an autonomous mode, and in response to receiving the recommendation, the vehicle having the computing device switches to an autonomous mode, or the overall indication of the condition of the road segment includes a recommendation to change vehicle operation from the autonomous mode to the manual mode, and in response to receiving the recommendation, the vehicle having the computing device switches to the manual mode.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation includes an action for the vehicle having the computing device to perform based upon the overall indication of the condition of the road segment.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vehicles obtain the data corresponding to the road segment from a smart infrastructure component.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein an indication of the condition of the road segment at the location includes at least one of:

(i) traffic at the road segment, (ii) a maneuver to be performed by each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at the location, (iii) an amount of wear and tear on the road segment, (iv) whether the road segment is currently under construction, or (v) unexpected debris on the road segment.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the traffic at the road segment includes:

an indication of a vehicle collision on the road segment, an indication of construction occurring on the road segment, a number of vehicles on the road segment, or a number of vehicles planning to exit the road segment;

wherein the amount of wear and tear on the road segment includes at least one of;

a number of potholes on the road segment, one or more ice patches on the road segment, or one or more cracks in the road segment; and

wherein unexpected debris on the road segment includes at least one of;

a fallen branch on the road segment, a flooded portion of the road segment, a rock on the road segment, fallen cargo on the road segment, a portion of a shredded tire on the road segment, or broken glass on the road segment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the overall indication of the condition of the road segment includes:

assigning, by the one or more processors, a weight to the data from each vehicle based upon time, wherein data received more recently is weighted higher.

8. A computer system configured to present vehicle data for a road segment based upon data collected from a plurality of vehicles each having one or more autonomous operation features, the computer system comprising one or more local or remote processors, transceivers, and/or sensors configured to:

receive data corresponding to a same road segment on which each of the plurality of vehicles travelled, the data for each vehicle including (i) an indication of a location within the road segment, and (ii) an indication of a condition of the road segment at the location;

generate, from the data corresponding to the same road segment, an overall indication of the condition of the road segment, wherein the overall indication includes a recommendation to vehicles approaching the road segment;

receive a request to display vehicle data including the overall indication for the road segment from a computing device within a vehicle approaching the road segment; and

cause the overall indication for the road segment to be displayed on a user interface of the computing device.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the overall indication of the condition of the road segment includes a recommendation to change vehicle operation from a manual mode to an autonomous mode, and in response to receiving the recommendation, the vehicle having the computing device switches to an autonomous mode, or the overall indication of the condition of the road segment includes a recommendation to change vehicle operation from the autonomous mode to the manual mode, and in response to receiving the recommendation, the vehicle having the computing device switches to the manual mode.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the recommendation includes an action for the vehicle having the computing device to perform based upon the overall indication of the condition of the road segment.

11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of vehicles obtain the data corresponding to the road segment from a smart infrastructure component.

12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein an indication of the condition of the road segment at the location includes at least one of:

(i) traffic at the road segment, (ii) a maneuver to be performed by each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at the location, (iii) an amount of wear and tear on the road segment, (iv) whether the road segment is currently under construction, or (v) unexpected debris on the road segment.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the traffic at the road segment includes:

an indication of a vehicle collision on the road segment, an indication of construction occurring on the road segment, a number of vehicles on the road segment, or a number of vehicles planning to exit the road segment;

wherein the amount of wear and tear on the road segment includes at least one of;

a number of potholes on the road segment, one or more ice patches on the road segment, or one or more cracks in the road segment; and

wherein unexpected debris on the road segment includes at least one of;

a fallen branch on the road segment, a flooded portion of the road segment, a rock on the road segment, fallen cargo on the road segment, a portion of a shredded tire on the road segment, or broken glass on the road segment.

14. The computer system of claim 8, wherein to generate an overall indication of the condition of the road segment, the one or more local or remote processors, transceivers, and/or sensors are configured to:

assign a weight to the data based upon time, wherein data received more recently is weighted higher.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing thereon a set of instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:

receive data corresponding to a same road segment on which each of the plurality of vehicles travelled, and the data for each vehicle includes (i) an indication of a location within the road segment, and (ii) an indication of a condition of the road segment at the location;

generate, from the data corresponding to the same road segment, an overall indication of the condition of the road segment, wherein the overall indication includes a recommendation to vehicles approaching the road segment;

receive a request to display vehicle data including the overall indication for the road segment from a computing device within a vehicle approaching the road segment; and

cause the overall indication for the road segment to be displayed on a user interface of the computing device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the overall indication of the condition of the road segment includes a recommendation to change vehicle operation from a manual mode to an autonomous mode, and in response to receiving the recommendation, the vehicle having the computing device switches to an autonomous mode, or the overall indication of the condition of the road segment includes a recommendation to change vehicle operation from the autonomous mode to the manual mode, and in response to receiving the recommendation, the vehicle having the computing device switches to the manual mode.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the recommendation includes an action for the vehicle having the computing device to perform based upon the overall indication of the condition of the road segment.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein an indication of the condition of the road segment at the location includes at least one of:

(i) traffic at the road segment, (ii) a maneuver to be performed by each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at the location, (iii) an amount of wear and tear on the road segment, (iv) whether the road segment is currently under construction, or (v) unexpected debris on the road segment.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the traffic at the road segment includes:

an indication of a vehicle collision on the road segment, an indication of construction occurring on the road segment, a number of vehicles on the road segment, or a number of vehicles planning to exit the road segment;

wherein the amount of wear and tear on the road segment includes at least one of;

a number of potholes on the road segment, one or more ice patches on the road segment, or one or more cracks in the road segment; and

wherein unexpected debris on the road segment includes at least one of;

a fallen branch on the road segment, a flooded portion of the road segment, a rock on the road segment, fallen cargo on the road segment, a portion of a shredded tire on the road segment, or broken glass on the road segment.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein to generate an overall indication of the condition of the road segment, the set of instructions causes the one or more processors to:

assign a weight to the data based upon time, wherein data received more recently is weighted higher.