Determining pickup and destination locations for autonomous vehicles

• US 10,718,622 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2018
• Issued: 07/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Colijn, Peter, Herbach, Joshua Seth, McNaughton, Matthew Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y
• Application Number:
  US16/196,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20190170520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 701461
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure provide systems and methods for providing suggested locations for pick up and destination locations. Pick up locations may include locations where an autonomous vehicle can pick up a passenger, while destination locations may include locations where the vehicle can wait for an additional passenger, stop and wait for a passenger to perform some task and return to the vehicle, or for the vehicle to drop off a passenger. As such, a request for a vehicle may be received from a client computing device. The request may identify a first location. A set of one or more suggested locations may be selected by comparing the predetermined locations to the first location. The set may be provided to the client computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing, by one or more processors of one or more server computing devices, detailed map information identifying a plurality of predetermined locations where a vehicle is able to pick up or drop off passengers;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a request from a client computing device, the request identifying a first location;

selecting, by the one or more processors, a set of one or more suggested locations by;

identifying predetermined locations of the plurality of predetermined locations that are identified as being within a threshold distance of the first location,

including any of the identified predetermined locations in the set, and

when the first location corresponds to a given predetermined location of the plurality of predetermined locations, including the given predetermined location in the set;

providing, by the one or more processors, the set of one or more suggested locations to the client computing device; and

dispatching, by the one or more processors, a vehicle to pick up a passenger at a location of the set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the set includes selecting a predetermined number of the plurality of predetermined locations that are within the threshold distance of the first location and closest to the first location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold distance is defined as walking distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold distance is defined as a radial distance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the set of one or more suggested locations includes:

scoring each given one of the identified predetermined locations based on a plurality of factors related to the difficulty in reaching that given one of the identified predetermined locations from the first location; and

using the scoring of the identified predetermined locations to select the set of one or more suggested locations.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to the difficulty a person has in reaching the identified predetermined locations from the first location.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to the difficulty a given vehicle has in reaching the identified predetermined locations from the first location.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to the difficulty a given vehicle has in stopping at the identified predetermined locations from the first location.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to the difficulty a given vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode has in reaching one of the identified predetermined locations from the first location.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to the difficulty a given vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode has in stopping at one of the identified predetermined locations from the first location.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to on a current location of the autonomous vehicle.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to whether the autonomous vehicle would have to first pass the identified predetermined locations before stopping for the passenger.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to a distance from the first location to one of the identified predetermined locations.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to walking conditions from the first location to one of the identified predetermined locations.

15. A system comprising one or more server computing devices having one or more processors, the one or more server computing devices are configured to:

access map information identifying a plurality of predetermined locations where a vehicle is able to pick up or drop off passengers;

receive a request from a client computing device, the request identifying a first location;

select a set of one or more suggested locations by;

identifying any predetermined locations of the plurality of predetermined locations that are within a threshold distance of the first location within the set,

including the identified predetermined locations in the set and

when the first location corresponds to a given predetermined location of the plurality of predetermined locations, including the given predetermined location in the set; and

provide the set of one or more suggested locations to the client computing device; and

dispatch a vehicle to pick up a passenger at a location of the set.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more server computing devices are further configured to select the set by selecting a predetermined number of the plurality of predetermined locations that are within the threshold distance of the first location and closest to the first location.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the plurality of factors is related to whether the autonomous vehicle would have to first pass the identified predetermined locations before stopping for the passenger.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more server computing devices are further configured to select the set of one or more suggested locations by:

scoring each given one of the identified predetermined locations based on a plurality of factors related to the difficulty a person has in reaching that given one of the identified predetermined locations from the first location; and

using the scoring of the identified predetermined locations to select the set of one or more suggested locations.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more server computing devices are further configured to select set of one or more suggested locations by:

scoring each given one of the identified predetermined locations based on a plurality of factors related to the difficulty a vehicle has in reaching that given one of the identified predetermined locations from the first location; and

using the scoring of the identified predetermined locations to select the set of one or more suggested locations.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising the vehicle that is dispatched.