Identifying a stopping place for an autonomous vehicle

A system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

• a. causing a vehicle to drive autonomously through a road network toward a defined goal position,
• b. identifying a set of potential stopping places in the vicinity of the goal position, the identifying of the set comprising:
• identifying a proximity region in the vicinity of the goal position,
• identifying a goal region within the proximity region, and
• discretizing the goal region,
• c. as the vehicle is caused to drive toward the defined goal position, analyzing current information about the potential stopping places in the vicinity of the goal position to make a choice of a currently selected stopping place that meets initial thresholds for acceptability and feasibility for stopping,
• d. causing the vehicle to drive autonomously toward the currently selected stopping place,
• e. repeating at least activities c and d until the vehicle stops at the currently selected stopping place or until a specified amount of time has elapsed, and
• f. repeating activities b and c using a relaxed threshold for acceptability, a relaxed threshold for feasibility, or both if the vehicle has not stopped at the currently selected stopping place within the specified amount of time and within the initial thresholds for acceptability and feasibility for stopping.

One or more non-transitory computer storage media storing instructions that are operable, when executed by one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

• a. causing a vehicle to drive autonomously through a road network toward a defined goal position,
• b. identifying a set of potential stopping places in the vicinity of the goal position, the identifying of the set comprising:
• identifying a proximity region in the vicinity of the goal position,
• identifying a goal region within the proximity region, and
• discretizing the goal region,
• c. as the vehicle is caused to drive toward the defined goal position, analyzing current information about the potential stopping places in the vicinity of the goal position to make a choice of a currently selected stopping place that meets initial thresholds for acceptability and feasibility for stopping,
• d. causing the vehicle to drive autonomously toward the currently selected stopping place,
• e. repeating at least activities c and d until the vehicle stops at the currently selected stopping place or until a specified amount of time has elapsed, and
• f. repeating activities b and c using a relaxed threshold for acceptability, a relaxed threshold for feasibility, or both if the vehicle has not stopped at the currently selected stopping place within the specified amount of time and within the initial thresholds for acceptability and feasibility for stopping.