US 2019/0171218 A1 · EXTERNAL CONTROL OF AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE

Abstract

Remote controlling of a vehicle, such as an autonomous vehicle, may sometimes be more efficient and/or reliable. Such control, however, may require processes for ensuring safety of surrounding persons and objects. Aspects of this disclosure include using onboard sensors to detect objects in an environment and alter remote commands according to such objects, e.g. by reducing a maximum permitted velocity of the vehicle as a function of distance to detected objects. In some examples described herein, such remote controlling may be performed by using objects in the environment as control objects, with movements of the control objects resulting in movement of the vehicle.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A vehicle comprising:

one or more sensors configured to sense objects in an environment of the vehicle;
one or more drive systems configured to cause the vehicle to move in the environment;
a control system configured to:
receive, from a source external to the vehicle, one or more control commands comprising a command for the vehicle to proceed in a direction at a commanded speed;
receive sensor data from the one or more sensors, the sensor data comprising information about an object in the environment;
determine a safety region proximate the vehicle;
determine, from the sensor data, a distance of the object from the vehicle;
determine, based at least in part on the distance, that the object is in the safety region;
determine, based at least in part on the object being in the safety region and the distance, a modified speed for the vehicle;
and
control the one or more drive systems to move the autonomous vehicle in the direction at the modified speed.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

External control of an autonomous vehicle

Life of this patent

External control of an autonomous vehicle

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21