Method for operating an autonomous vehicle
AssigneeVolvo Truck Corporation
InventorsPeter Nilsson, Oliver Sundell, Patrik Nilsson, Wilhelm Wiberg, Stefan Bergquist, Oskar Wigström
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a computer implemented method for operating an autonomous vehicle based on sensor data representative of an area in a driving direction of and in the vicinity of the vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a control unit adapted to determine if a plurality of detailed actions to be performed by the vehicle successfully may be used for fulfilling a desired general action plan for the vehicle. The present disclosure also relates to a corresponding control system and to a computer program product.
Claims18
A computer implemented method for operating an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
- receiving, at an electronic control unit (ECU) from at least one sensor, sensor data comprising information in an area in a driving direction of and in a vicinity of the vehicle,
- determining, by the ECU using a general action module and based on the sensor data, a desired general action plan to be performed by the vehicle, the general action module directed to a macro portion of operating the vehicle within a macro window,
- selecting, by the ECU based on the desired general action plan, a plurality of detailed action modules, each of the plurality of detailed action modules directed to a micro portion of operating the vehicle within a micro window shorter than the macro window,
- determining, by the ECU based on the selected plurality of detailed action modules and the sensor data, a plurality of detailed actions directed to control parameters for operating the vehicle within the micro window and for fulfilling the desired general action plan,
- estimating by the ECU based on the plurality of determined detailed actions, a success rate for fulfilling the desired general action plan, and operating, by the ECU, the vehicle based on the plurality of determined detailed actions and the estimated success rate.
An electronic control unit (ECU) adapted to control an autonomous vehicle, the ECU adapted to:
- receive sensor data from at least one sensor, the sensor data comprising information in an area in a driving direction of and in a vicinity of the vehicle,
- determine, using the general action module and based on the sensor data, a desired general action plan to be performed by the vehicle, the general action module directed to a macro portion of operating the vehicle within a macro window,
- select, based on the desired general action plan, a plurality of detailed action modules, each of the plurality of detailed action modules directed to a micro portion of operating the vehicle within a micro window shorter than the macro window,
- determine, based on the selected plurality of detailed action module and the sensor data, a plurality of detailed actions directed to control parameters for operating the vehicle within the micro window and for fulfilling the desired general action plan,
- estimate, based on the plurality of determined detailed actions, a success rate for fulfilling the desired general action plan,
- operate the vehicle based on the plurality of detailed actions and the estimated success rate.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer program instructions to cause a processor device to:
- receive, at an electronic control unit (ECU) from at least one sensor, sensor data comprising information in an area in a driving direction of and in a vicinity of an autonomous vehicle,
- determine, by the ECU using a general action module and based on the sensor data, a desired general action plan to be performed by the vehicle, the general action module directed to a macro portion of operating the vehicle within a macro window,
- select, by the ECU based on the desired general action plan, a plurality of detailed action modules, each of the plurality of detailed action modules directed to a micro portion of operating a vehicle within a micro window shorter than the macro window,
- determine, by the ECU based on the selected plurality of detailed action modules and the sensor data, a plurality of detailed actions directed to control parameters for operating the vehicle within the micro window and for fulfilling the desired general action plan,
- estimate, by the ECU based on the plurality of determined detailed actions, a success rate for fulfilling the desired general action plan, and
- operate, by the ECU, the vehicle based on the plurality of determined detailed actions and the estimated success rate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.