Fallback requests for autonomous vehicles

• US 9,368,026 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Herbach, Joshua Seth, Nemec, Philip, Fairfield, Nathaniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Satish
• Application Number:
  US14/721,604
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 718 1-108, 701/37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0005 Processor details or data handling, e.g. memory registers or chip architecture
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0006 Digital architecture hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/029 Adapting to failures or work around with other constraints, e.g. circumvention by avoiding use of failed parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00253 Taxi operations
• 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 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a system having a memory, a plurality of self-driving systems for controlling a vehicle, and one or more processors. The processors are configured to receive at least one fallback task in association with a request for a primary task and at least one trigger of each fallback task. Each trigger is a set of conditions that, when satisfied, indicate when a vehicle requires attention for proper operation. The processors are also configured to send instructions to the self-driving systems to execute the primary task and receive status updates from the self-driving systems. The processors are configured to determine that a set of conditions of a trigger is satisfied based on the status updates and send further instructions based on the associated fallback task to the self-driving systems.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more self-driving systems for controlling a vehicle; and

one or more processors configured to;

receive at least one fallback task in association with a request for a primary task and at least one trigger of each fallback task, each trigger being a set of conditions that, when satisfied, indicate when a vehicle requires attention for proper operation;

send a first set of instructions to the one or more self-driving systems to execute the primary task;

receive status updates from the self-driving systems;

determine that a set of conditions of a trigger is satisfied based at least in part on the status updates; and

send a second set of instructions to one or more self-driving systems based on the fallback task associated with the trigger.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each set of conditions is different for each trigger;

and

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine that a set of conditions of a trigger has been satisfied.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

a base location is hardcoded on the memory;

the one or more processors are further configured to determine that the fallback task associated with the trigger is non-executable; and

update the fallback task to be driving to the base location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

send a status update report based on the status update from the self-driving systems;

receive at least one updated fallback task; and

store the at least one updated fallback task in the memory.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to update at least one fallback task based on the at least one updated fallback task.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that the set of conditions of the trigger are no longer satisfied; and

when one or more conditions of the trigger are determined to no longer be satisfied, send a third set of instructions to one or more self-driving systems to autonomously resume the primary task.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a level of urgency of the trigger, the level of urgency being related to how quickly the fallback task associated with the trigger is executed after the set of conditions of the trigger is satisfied; and

send the second set of instructions before the primary task is completed when the level of urgency of the trigger is a certain level.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second set of instructions includes instructions that cause the self-driving systems to stop executing the primary task.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine which fallback task is associated with the trigger by accessing a mapping of each trigger to corresponding fallback tasks.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle will not start if a base location is not stored on the memory.

12. A fleet management system comprising a server configured to:

receive updates regarding the status of a plurality of vehicles capable of autonomously driving; and

send a dispatch command to one of the vehicles, the dispatch command including a request for a primary task, at least one fallback task, and at least one trigger of each fallback task, each trigger being a set of conditions that, when satisfied, indicate when a vehicle requires attention for proper operation;

wherein the dispatch command further includes a level of urgency for each trigger, the level of urgency being related to how quickly the fallback task associated with the trigger is executed after the set of conditions of the trigger is satisfied.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is further configured to send at least one updated fallback task in response to the received updates.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is further configured to determine one or more fallback locations that one of the vehicles may drive to when executing at least one fallback task;

and

wherein the dispatch command further includes the one or more fallback locations.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising the plurality of vehicles capable of autonomously driving.

16. A system comprising:

a plurality of self-driving systems for controlling a vehicle;

one or more processors; and

a memory comprising;

a trip manager module comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

send a first set of instructions to one or more self-driving systems to execute a primary task, and

send a second set of instructions to one or more self-driving systems to execute a fallback task associated with a trigger, the trigger being a set of conditions that, when satisfied, indicate when a vehicle requires attention for proper operation; and

a task overseer module comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

receive vehicle status updates from the trip manager module,

determine that the set of conditions of a trigger is satisfied based on a current vehicle status received from the trip manager module, and

send information to the trip manager module based on the fallback task associated with the set of conditions of the trigger that is satisfied.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein

the task overseer module further comprises instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to determine a level of urgency of the trigger, the level of urgency being related to how quickly the fallback task associated with the trigger is executed after the set of conditions of the trigger is satisfied, wherein the indication includes the level of urgency;

and

the trip manager module further comprises instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to send the second set of instructions with instructions to stop executing the primary task.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the task overseer module further comprises instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to determine which fallback task is associated with the trigger by accessing a mapping of each trigger to corresponding fallback tasks.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising the vehicle.