US 10,988,110 B1 · Safety considerations for self-driving vehicles

Abstract

The technology relates to detection of aberrant driving situations during operation of a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode. Aberrant situations may include potential theft or unsafe conditions, which are determined according to one or more signals. The signals are derived from information detected about the environment around the vehicle, such as from one or more sensors disposed on the vehicle. In response to an aberrant situation, the vehicle may take various corrective action, such as rerouting, locking down the vehicle or communicating with remote assistance. The type of corrective action taken may depend on a type of cargo being transported or whether one or more passengers are in the vehicle. If there are passengers, the system may communicate with the passengers via the passenger's client computing devices or by presenting visual or audible information via a user interface system of the vehicle.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous driving mode, the vehicle comprising:

a driving system including a steering subsystem, an acceleration subsystem and a deceleration subsystem to control driving of the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode;
a perception system including one or more sensors configured to detect objects in an environment external to the vehicle;
a communication system configured to provide wireless connectivity with one or more remote devices;
and a control system including one or more processors, the control system operatively coupled to the driving system, the communication system and the perception system, the control system being configured to:
receive sensor data from the perception system and obtained by the one or more sensors;
evaluate the sensor data to determine whether an aberrant situation exists in the environment external to the vehicle, including to check for one or more signals indicative of an atypical behavior relative to an expected behavior for the external environment;
and upon detection of the aberrant situation, take corrective action via the driving system.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Safety considerations for self-driving vehicles

Life of this patent

Safety considerations for self-driving vehicles

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22