# US 12,183,195 B2 · Determining right of way

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- Number: US 12,183,195 B2
- Document ID: US12183195B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/850,348
- Filed: 2022-06-27
- Published: 2023-12-28
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2022-06-27
- Assignees: Zoox, Inc.
- Applicants: Zoox, Inc.
- Inventors: Robert Jonathan Crane; Joona Markus Petteri Kiiski
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12183195B2

## CPC

- G08G 1/096725: {where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control}
- B60W 30/18159: {Traversing an intersection}
- B60W 40/04: Traffic conditions
- B60W 60/0011: {involving control alternatives for a single driving scenario, e.g. planning several paths to avoid obstacles}
- B60W 60/0015: {specially adapted for safety}
- B60W 60/0027: {using trajectory prediction for other traffic participants}
- G01C 21/3822: {Road feature data, e.g. slope data}
- G08G 1/0112: {from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]}
- G08G 1/09623: {Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle (G08G1/0967 takes precedence)}
- G08G 1/0967: Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits (transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968)
- G08G 1/096811: {where the route is computed offboard}
- G08G 1/0969: having a display in the form of a map
- G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes}
- B60W 2556/40: High definition maps
- B60W 2556/50: of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- 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)

## Abstract

Techniques for determining right of way through an intersection are discussed herein. Routes through the intersection may be associated with respective priorities. The route associated with an inbound lane devoid of yield or stop markers may be determined as being associated with the highest priority. The hierarchy of the other priorities may be organized based on whether the number of times routes associated with each respective priority intersects the route associated with the highest priority. The routes and the priorities are saved in a data structure, and the data structure is transmitted to an autonomous vehicle for controlling the autonomous vehicle through the intersection.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving map data representing a road intersection in an environment having an inbound traffic lane and an outbound traffic lane, the map data comprising traffic annotation data;
determining, based at least in part on the map data, a first route and a second route through the road intersection;
determining a number of times that the second route intersects the first route;
determining, based at least in part on the number of times and the traffic annotation data, a relative priority between the first and second routes;
storing, in a data structure, an association between the first route, the second route, the traffic annotation data, and the relative priority; and
transmitting the data structure to an autonomous vehicle for controlling the autonomous vehicle traversing through the road intersection based at least in part on a cost determined based on the data structure, wherein controlling the autonomous vehicle comprises:
determining, by the autonomous vehicle and based on the cost, a trajectory through the road intersection; and
controlling autonomously, based on the trajectory, the autonomous vehicle through the road intersection.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising:
determining, based at least in part on the map data, a third route through the road intersection;
determining an additional number of times the first route intersects the third route;
determining, based at least in part on the additional number of times and the traffic annotation data, an additional relative priority between the first route and the third route; and
storing, in the data structure, an additional association between the first route, the third route, the traffic annotation data, and the additional relative priority.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the autonomous vehicle is controlled to traverse through the road intersection based at least in part on:
determining a vehicle route to traverse through the road intersection;
receiving sensor data representing an object approaching the road intersection;
determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, an object route;
determining, based at least in part on the object route and the vehicle route, an object route priority;
determining, based at least in part on the object route priority, the cost; and
controlling the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the cost.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein determining the relative priority comprises determining that the inbound traffic lane is devoid of at least one of a traffic light, a stop sign, a yield sign or a stop line, and
wherein a first priority associated with the first route is higher than or equal to a second priority associated with the second route.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic annotation data comprises at least one of:
a traffic light;
a stop sign;
a yield sign; or
a stop line.

### Claim 6

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving map data representing an intersection in an environment, wherein the intersection comprises an inbound lane and an outbound lane;
determining, based at least in part on the inbound lane and the outbound lane, a first route through the intersection, the first route associated with a first priority;
determining, based on the map data, a second route through the intersection;
determining a number of times that the second route intersects the first route;
determining, based at least in part on the number of times, a second priority associated with the second route;
storing, in a data structure, an association between the first route, the second route, the first priority, and the second priority; and
transmitting the data structure to a vehicle for controlling the vehicle traversing through the intersection based at least in part on a cost determined based on the data structure, wherein controlling the vehicle comprises:
determining, by the vehicle and based on the cost, a trajectory through the intersection; and
controlling autonomously, based on the trajectory, the vehicle through the intersection.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein the map data further comprises traffic annotation data comprising of at least one of:
a traffic light,
a stop sign,
a yield sign, or
a stop line.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein determining the first priority comprises determining that the inbound lane is devoid of at least one of a traffic light, a stop sign, a yield sign or a stop line, and
wherein the first priority is higher than or equal to the second priority.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the inbound lane is a first inbound lane and wherein the intersection further comprises a second inbound lane, the operations further comprising:
determining, based at least in part on the second inbound lane, a third route associated with a third priority based at least in part on the second inbound lane being associated with at least one of:
a traffic light;
a stop sign;
a yield sign; or
a stop line; and
determining, based at least on the first inbound lane being devoid of at least one of the traffic light, the stop sign, the yield sign, or the stop line and the second inbound lane being associated with the traffic light, the stop sign, the yield sign, or the stop line, that the first priority is higher than the third priority.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein the inbound lane is substantially parallel to the outbound lane, wherein a first vehicle enters the intersection using the inbound lane in a first direction and a second vehicle exits the intersection using the outbound lane in a second direction opposite the first direction.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein the data structure further comprises a plurality of entries, wherein an entry of the plurality of entries comprises a pairwise combination of two routes and associated priorities.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7,
wherein the autonomous vehicle is controlled to traverse through the intersection based on:
determining a vehicle route to traverse through the intersection;
receiving sensor data representing an object approaching the intersection;
determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, an object route;
determining, based at least in part on the object route and the vehicle route, an object route priority;
determining, based at least in part on the object route priority, a cost; and
controlling the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the cost.

### Claim 13 (depends on 6)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6, the operations further comprising:
determining, based on the map data, a third route through the intersection;
determining a second number of times that that the third route intersects the first route;
determining, based at least in part on the second number of times, a third priority associated with the third route; and
storing, in the data structure, an additional association between the first route, the second route, the third route, the first priority, the second priority, and the third priority.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the number of times is a first number of times and the first number of times is less than the second number of times, the operations further comprising:
determining, based on the first number of times being less than the second number of times, that the second priority is higher than the third priority.

### Claim 15 (depends on 6)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein the intersection further comprises a bike lane, the operations comprising:
determining a fourth route through the intersection associated with the bike lane, the fourth route associated with a fourth priority is higher than the first priority and the second priority.

### Claim 16

A method comprising:
receiving map data representing an intersection in an environment, wherein the intersection comprises an inbound lane and an outbound lane;
determining, based at least in part on the inbound lane and the outbound lane, a first route through the intersection, the first route associated with a first priority;
determining, based on the map data, a second route through the intersection;
determining a number of times that the second route intersects the first route;
determining, based at least in part on the number of times, a second priority associated with the second route;
storing, in a data structure, an association between the first route, the second route, the first priority, and the second priority; and
transmitting the data structure to a vehicle for controlling the vehicle traversing through the intersection based at least in part on a cost determined based on the data structure, wherein controlling the vehicle comprises:
determining, by the vehicle and based on the cost, a trajectory through the intersection; and
controlling autonomously, based on the trajectory, the vehicle through the intersection.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the map data further comprises traffic annotation data comprising of at least one of:
a traffic light,
a stop sign,
a yield sign, or
a stop line.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising:
wherein the autonomous vehicle is controlled to traverse through the intersection based on:
determining a vehicle route to traverse through the intersection;
receiving sensor data representing an object approaching the intersection;
determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, an object route;
determining, based at least in part on the object route and the vehicle route, an object route priority;
determining, based at least in part on the object route priority, a cost; and
controlling the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the cost.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising:
determining, based on the map data, a third route through the intersection;
determining a second number of times that that the third route intersects the first route;
determining, based at least in part on the second number of times, a third priority associated with the third route; and
storing, in the data structure, an additional association between the first route, the second route, the third route, the first priority, the second priority, and the third priority.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, further comprising:
determining, based on the map data, a third route through the intersection;
determining a second number of times that that the third route intersects the first route;
determining, based at least in part on the second number of times, a third priority associated with the third route; and
storing, in the data structure, an additional association between the first route, the second route, the third route, the first priority, the second priority, and the third priority.