US 12,128,878 B1Granted

Fleet control for parking space selection

AssigneeZoox, Inc.

InventorsJoseph Funke, Steven Cheng Qian, Zheyuan Xie

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Abstract

Techniques for controlling a vehicle to select parking spaces are discussed herein. The vehicle may receive a request to travel to a destination and obtain information about a first set and a second set of parking spaces within a threshold distance of the destination. The vehicle may determine a first likelihood of availability associated with the first set of parking spaces and a second likelihood of availability associated with the second set of parking spaces. The vehicle may determine a first cost associated with a first route to the first set of parking spaces and a second cost associated with a second route to the second set of parking spaces by the cost function. Upon determining that the first cost is equal to or less than the second cost, the vehicle may navigate based on the first route and park within one of the first set of parking spaces.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An autonomous vehicle comprising:

one or more processors;
and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the autonomous vehicle to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request to travel to a destination;
identifying a first set of public parking spaces within a first distance of the destination;
identifying a second set of public parking spaces that are located outside the first distance and within a second distance of the destination;
obtaining, based at least in part on a database available to the autonomous vehicle, information about the first set of public parking spaces and the second set of public parking spaces, wherein the database is updated based at least in part on sensor data captured by a fleet of autonomous vehicles;
determining, based at least in part on the information about the first set of public parking spaces and the second set of public parking spaces, a first likelihood of availability associated with the first set of public parking spaces and a second likelihood of availability associated with the second set of public parking spaces;
determining a first route to the first set of public parking spaces, and a second route to the second set of public parking spaces;
determining a first cost associated with the first route by a cost function based on the first likelihood of availability, and a second cost associated with the second route by the cost function based on the second likelihood of availability;
determining whether the first cost associated with the first route is equal to or less than the second cost associated with the second route;
and
upon determining that the first cost associated with the first route is equal to or less than the second cost associated with the second route:
causing the autonomous vehicle to navigate based on the first route;
and
causing the autonomous vehicle to park within one of the first set of public parking spaces.

13 more elements

A method comprising:

determining a first set of parking spaces within a first distance of a destination and a second set of parking spaces that are located outside the first distance and within a second distance of the destination;
retrieving, from a database, information about the first set of parking spaces and the second set of parking spaces, wherein the database is updated based at least in part on sensor data captured by a fleet of autonomous vehicles;
determining, based at least in part on the information about the first set of parking spaces and the second set of parking spaces, a first likelihood of availability associated with the first set of parking spaces and a second likelihood of availability associated with the second set of parking spaces;
and
controlling, based at least in part on the first likelihood of availability and the second likelihood of availability, a vehicle to navigate to one of the first set of parking spaces or the second set of parking spaces.

2 more elements

A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:

determining a first set of parking spaces within a first distance of a destination and a second set of parking spaces that are located outside the first distance and within a second distance of the destination;
retrieving, from a database, information about the first set of parking spaces and the second set of parking spaces, wherein the database is updated based at least in part on sensor data captured by a fleet of autonomous vehicles;
determining, based at least in part on the information about the first set of parking spaces and the second set of parking spaces, a first likelihood of availability associated with the first set of parking spaces and a second likelihood of availability associated with the second set of parking spaces;
and
controlling, based at least in part on the first likelihood of availability and the second likelihood of availability, a vehicle to navigate to one of the first set of parking spaces or the second set of parking spaces.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/716,974Filed 8 Apr 2022
Granted: 29 Oct 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B60W 30/06
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…:…
G01C 21/3476
Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments: using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route…
G01C 21/3685
Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities: the POI's being parking…
G06Q 30/0283
Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising: price estimation or determination