US 10,852,737 B2Granted

Power management, dynamic routing and memory management for autonomous driving vehicles

AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.

InventorZoltan Szubbocsev

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Abstract

The invention relates to a system and method for navigating an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) that utilizes an-onboard computer and/or one or more ADV control system nodes in an ADV network platform. The on-board computer receives battery monitoring and management data concerning a battery stack. The on-board computer, utilizing a battery management system, determines the current state of charge (SOC) and other information concerning the battery stack and determines if the estimated total amount of electrical power required to navigate an ADV along a generated route to reach the predetermined destination is available. In response to determining that the ADV cannot reach the predetermined destination, the on-board computer automatically initiates a dynamic routing algorithm, which utilizes artificial intelligence, to generate alternative routes in an effort to find a route that the ADV can navigate to reach the destination utilizing the current state of charge (SOC) of the battery stack.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system to route an autonomous driving vehicle, comprising:

a battery device configured to provide electrical power to an autonomous driving vehicle;
an on-board computer comprising:
one or more processors programmed to autonomously navigate the vehicle along a current route to a predetermined geographical destination;
one or more sensor devices communicatively coupled to the on-board computer;
wherein at least one of the one or more sensor devices is configured to generate battery data including a state of charge of the battery device;
wherein at least one of the one or more processors, in response to receiving the destination, is programmed to:
determine a starting geographical location of the vehicle;
generate mapping information for a geographical area that includes the starting location of the vehicle, the destination, one or more navigable pathways between the starting vehicle location and the destination and information concerning the one or more pathways;
generate, utilizing the mapping information, the current route from the starting location of the vehicle to the destination that includes one or more of the navigable pathways;
determine a current route time that represents a time that it will take to navigate the vehicle along the current route from the starting location to reach the destination;
receive the state of charge of the battery device from the at least one sensor device;
determine an estimated total amount of electrical power required to navigate the vehicle along the current route to reach the destination;
determine, utilizing the state of charge of the battery device and the total amount of electrical power, if the on-board computer can navigate the vehicle along the current route from the starting location to the destination without having to charge the battery device utilizing an external power source;
and
in response to determining that the on-board computer can navigate the vehicle along the current route to reach the destination without having to charge the battery device utilizing the external power source, autonomously navigate the vehicle from the starting location to the destination along the current route;
a data storage device communicatively coupled to the one or more processors for retrievably storing data;
and
an in-memory processing system that includes the at least one of the one or more processors to perform in-memory processing of data received from one or more devices included in the system.

15 more elements

A processor implemented method for routing an autonomous driving vehicle comprising:

providing electrical power to an autonomous driving vehicle by a battery device;
autonomously navigating the vehicle along a current route to a predetermined geographical destination by at least one of one or more processors;
generating, utilizing at least one of one or more sensor devices, data concerning the battery device including a current state of charge of the battery device;
determining a starting geographical location of the vehicle;
generating mapping information, utilizing data retrieved from a storage device, for a geographical area that includes the starting location of the vehicle, the destination, one or more navigable pathways between the starting vehicle location and the destination and information concerning the one or more pathways;
performing in-memory processing, using an in-memory processing system that includes the at least one of the one or more processors utilizing the mapping information,
to generate the current route from the starting location of the vehicle to the destination that includes one or more navigable pathways;
and
to determine a current route time that represents a time that it will take to navigate the vehicle along the current route from the starting location to reach the destination;
receiving the state of charge of the battery device from the at least one of the one or more sensor devices;
determining an estimated total amount of electrical power required to navigate the vehicle along the current route to reach the destination;
utilizing the state of charge and the total amount of electrical power to determine if the vehicle can be navigated from along the current route from the staring location to the destination without having to charge the battery device utilizing an external power source;
and
navigating the vehicle along the current route to the destination in response to determining that the vehicle can be navigated along the current route from the staring location to the destination without having to charge the battery device utilizing an external power source.

11 more elements

A computer program product for routing an autonomous driving vehicle, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable and executable by at least one of one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

providing electrical power to an autonomous driving vehicle by a battery device;
autonomously navigating the vehicle along a current route to a predetermined geographical destination by at least one of one or more processors;
generating, utilizing at least one of one or more sensor devices, data concerning the battery device including a current state of charge of the battery device;
determining a starting geographical location of the vehicle;
generating mapping information, utilizing data retrieved from a storage device, for a geographical area that includes the starting location of the vehicle, the destination, one or more navigable pathways between the starting vehicle location and the destination and information concerning the one or more pathways;
performing in-memory processing, using an in-memory processing system that includes the at least one of the one or more processors utilizing the mapping information,
to generate the current route from the starting location of the vehicle to the destination that includes one or more navigable pathways;
and
to determine a current route time that represents a time that it will take to navigate the vehicle along the current route from the starting location to reach the destination;
receiving the state of charge of the battery device from the at least one of the one or more sensor devices;
determining an estimated total amount of electrical power required to navigate the vehicle along the current route to reach the destination;
utilizing the state of charge and the total amount of electrical power to determine if the vehicle can be navigated from along the current route from the staring location to the destination without having to charge the battery device utilizing an external power source;
and
navigating the vehicle along the current route to the destination in response to determining that the vehicle can be navigated along the current route from the staring location to the destination without having to charge the battery device utilizing an external power source.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/933,260Filed 22 Mar 2018
Published: US 2019/0294173 A126 Sep 2019
Granted: 1 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification45 codes

G05D 1/43
Control within particular dimensions: control of position or course in two dimensions [2D]
B60L 15/2045
For control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed: for…
B60L 50/60
Using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells: using power supplied by batteries
B60L 58/12
For monitoring or controlling batteries: responding to state of charge [SoC]