Techniques for addressing unfavorable road conditions in autonomous trucking applications
AssigneeWaymo LLC
InventorAndre Strobel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects and implementations of the present disclosure relate to performance and safety improvements for autonomous trucking systems, including techniques of obtaining an identification of an unfavorable condition on a route of an autonomous vehicle (AV), causing the AV to exit the route, and performing one or more waiting loops until the unfavorable condition is resolved, the AV is rerouted, assistance arrives, and the like.
Claims20
A method to operate an autonomous vehicle (AV), the method comprising:
- maintaining, by a data processing system of the AV, the AV on a highway, wherein the highway is a part of a first route to a route destination;
- obtaining, by the data processing system of the AV, an identification of an unfavorable condition for the first route, wherein the unfavorable condition causes a delay of travel of the AV on the highway;
- responsive to the obtained identification of the unfavorable condition, directing, using an AV control system, the AV to follow a waiting loop route for a period of time;
- reevaluating, while the AV is driving the waiting loop route, the unfavorable condition;
- and
- responsive to the reevaluating of the unfavorable condition, making a determination to direct the AV to one of i) the first route or ii) a second route to the route destination.
A system comprising:
- an autonomous vehicle (AV) control system of the AV;
- a data processing system of the AV, communicatively coupled to the AV control system, wherein the data processing system is configured to:
- maintain the AV on a highway, wherein the highway is a part of a first route, the first route having a route destination;
- obtain an identification of an unfavorable condition for the first route, wherein the unfavorable condition causes a delay of travel of the AV on the highway;
- and
- responsive to the obtained identification of the unfavorable condition, directing the AV control system to select a waiting loop route for a period of time;
- reevaluate, while the AV is driving the waiting loop route, the unfavorable condition;
- and
- responsive to the reevaluated unfavorable condition, make a determination to direct the AV control system to select one of i) the first route or ii) a second route to the route destination;
- and
- the AV control system of the AV to:
- cause the AV to follow the selected waiting loop route for the period of time.
A non-transitory computer-readable memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by a processing device a data processing system of an autonomous vehicle (AV), are to cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:
- maintaining the AV on a highway, wherein the highway is a part of a first route, the first route having a route destination;
- obtaining an identification of an unfavorable condition for the first route, wherein the unfavorable condition causes a delay of travel of the AV on the highway;
- responsive to the obtained identification of the unfavorable condition, directing, using an AV control system, the AV to follow a waiting loop route for a period of time;
- reevaluating, while the AV is driving the waiting loop route, the unfavorable condition;
- and
- responsive to the reevaluating of the unfavorable condition, making a determination to direct the AV to one of i) the first route or ii) a second route to the route destination.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.