# US 11,029,687 B2 · Trajectory assistance for autonomous vehicles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,687 B2 - Document ID: US11029687B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/899,208 - Filed: 2018-02-19 - Published: 2018-07-12 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-15 - Assignees: Waymo LLC - Applicants: Waymo LLC - Inventors: Joshua Seth Herbach; Nathaniel Fairfield - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029687B2 ## CPC - G05D 1/0027: {involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling (fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00)} - G05D 1/0212: {with means for defining a desired trajectory (involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287)} - B60W 30/00: Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units - B60W 40/04: Traffic conditions - B60W 60/001: {Planning or execution of driving tasks} - G01C 21/34: Route searching; Route guidance - G05D 1/0231: {using optical position detecting means (position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16)} - G05D 1/0297: {by controlling means in a control room} - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W 2554/00: Input parameters relating to objects - B60W 2554/20: Static objects - B60W 2554/4029: Pedestrians - B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects - B60W 2556/45: External transmission of data to or from the vehicle - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract An autonomous vehicle may include a stuck condition detection component and a communications component. The stuck-detection component may be configured to detect a condition in which the autonomous vehicle is impeded from navigating according to a first trajectory. The communications component may send an assistance signal to an assistance center and receive a response to the assistance signal. The assistance signal may include sensor information from the autonomous vehicle. The assistance center may include a communications component and a trajectory specification component. The communications component may receive the assistance signal and send a corresponding response. The trajectory specification component may specify a second trajectory for the autonomous vehicle and generate the corresponding response that includes a representation of the second trajectory. The second trajectory may be based on the first trajectory and may ignore an object that obstructs the first trajectory. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: based on sensor input, detecting, by an autonomous vehicle, a condition in which the autonomous vehicle is impeded from traveling according to a first trajectory; transmitting, by a communication unit of the autonomous vehicle and by way of a wireless network, an assistance signal to an assistance center that is remote from the autonomous vehicle, wherein the assistance signal indicates that the autonomous vehicle seeks assistance traveling according to the first trajectory; receiving, by the communication unit of the autonomous vehicle and by way of the wireless network, a response to the assistance signal, wherein the response includes a representation of a second trajectory; and instructing, by a control unit of the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle to travel according to the second trajectory. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: before receiving the response to the assistance signal, receiving, from the assistance center, a request for sensor data; and in response to receiving the request for sensor data, transmitting, to the assistance center, the requested sensor data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: before transmitting the requested sensor data, obtaining the requested sensor data from one or more sensors of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second trajectory ignores a presence of at least one object that obstructs the first trajectory. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second trajectory is different from the first trajectory and the second trajectory intersects the first trajectory at two or more points. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second trajectory is different from the first trajectory and the second trajectory is a modified version of the first trajectory. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second trajectory and the first trajectory are identical. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the condition in which the autonomous vehicle is impeded from traveling according to the first trajectory comprises: identifying a cause for the autonomous vehicle to be impeded from traveling according to the first trajectory; starting a timer, wherein length of the timer is based on the cause; and after the timer expires, determining that the cause is still impeding the autonomous vehicle from traveling according to the first trajectory. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: after traveling according to the second trajectory, determining that the autonomous vehicle can safely return to traveling according to the first trajectory; and in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle can safely return to traveling according to the first trajectory, instructing the autonomous vehicle to travel according to the first trajectory. ### Claim 10 An autonomous vehicle comprising: a sensor unit; a communication unit; a propulsion unit; and a control unit configured to: based on input from the sensor unit, detect a condition in which the autonomous vehicle is impeded from traveling according to a first trajectory; cause the communication unit to transmit, by way of a wireless network, an assistance signal to an assistance center that is remote from the autonomous vehicle, wherein the assistance signal indicates that the autonomous vehicle seeks assistance traveling according to the first trajectory; receive, by of the communication unit and by way of the wireless network, a response to the assistance signal, wherein the response includes a representation of a second trajectory; and instruct the propulsion unit to cause the autonomous vehicle to travel according to the second trajectory. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The autonomous vehicle of claim 10, wherein the control unit is further configured to: before receiving the response to the assistance signal, receive, by way of the communication unit and from the assistance center, a request for sensor data; and in response to receiving the request for sensor data, cause the communication unit to transmit, to the assistance center, the requested sensor data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The autonomous vehicle of claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to: before transmitting the requested sensor data, obtaining the requested sensor data from the sensor unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The autonomous vehicle of claim 10, wherein the second trajectory ignores a presence of at least one object that obstructs the first trajectory. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The autonomous vehicle of claim 10, wherein the second trajectory is different from the first trajectory and the second trajectory intersects the first trajectory at two or more points. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The autonomous vehicle of claim 10, wherein the second trajectory is different from the first trajectory and the second trajectory is a modified version of the first trajectory. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a control unit, cause the control unit to perform operations comprising: based on sensor input, detecting a condition in which an autonomous vehicle is impeded from traveling according to a first trajectory; transmitting, by way of a wireless network, an assistance signal to an assistance center that is remote from the autonomous vehicle, wherein the assistance signal indicates that the autonomous vehicle seeks assistance traveling according to the first trajectory; receiving, by way of a wireless network, a response to the assistance signal, wherein the response includes a representation of a second trajectory; and instructing the autonomous vehicle to travel according to the second trajectory. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising: before receiving the response to the assistance signal, receiving, from the assistance center, a request for sensor data; and in response to receiving the request for sensor data, transmitting, to the assistance center, the requested sensor data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising: before transmitting the requested sensor data, obtaining the requested sensor data from one or more sensors of the autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second trajectory ignores a presence of at least one object that obstructs the first trajectory. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second trajectory is different from the first trajectory and the second trajectory intersects the first trajectory at two or more points.