Methods and systems for providing scan data for decision making by a self-driving vehicle

A self-driving vehicle comprising:

• a LiDAR device configured to scan a space around the self-driving vehicle in consecutive scanning cycles;
• and
• a control system that operates the self-driving vehicle, the control system comprising a computing device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing programmed instructions that when executed by the processor cause the control system to:
• receive a request from a behavior layer of the control system in a perception layer of the control system for scan information associated with a requested segment of space;
• determine in the perception layer whether to wait for a next scan of the requested segment by the LiDAR device and use scan data from the next scan of the requested segment, or to extract and use scan data from a previous scan of the requested segment by the LiDAR device;
• process the scan data in the perception layer to generate the scan information for the requested segment;
• provide the scan information to the behavior layer for the requested segment in response to the request;
• and
• operate the self-driving vehicle in accordance with a decision made about a maneuver to be performed by the self-driving vehicle in the behavior layer based, at least in part, on the scan information,
• the memory further storing programmed instructions that when executed by the processor cause the control system to:
• receive a deadline in the perception layer, the deadline providing a time by which the scan information associated with the requested segment of space is to be provided to the behavior layer;
• and
• determine whether to wait for the next scan of the requested segment at least in part by:
• evaluating a time parameter indicative of a time of availability of data for the next scan of the requested segment by the LiDAR device;
• comparing the time parameter to the deadline;
• and
• in response to the time parameter indicating that the scan information will not be available by the deadline, making a determination to use data from the previous scan of the requested segment.