# US 2021/0276554 A1 · Planning Stopping Locations For Autonomous Vehicles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0276554 A1 - Document ID: US20210276554A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/232,680 - Filed: 2021-04-16 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-14 - Assignees: Waymo LLC - Applicants: Waymo LLC - Inventors: Jared Stephen Russell; Dmitri A. Dolgov; Nathaniel Fairfield; Laura Estelle Lindzey; Christopher Paul Urmson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276554A1 ## CPC - B60W 30/18: Propelling the vehicle - B60W 60/00253: {Taxi operations} - B60W 60/0027: {using trajectory prediction for other traffic participants} - G01C 21/3407: {specially adapted for specific applications} - G01C 21/3867: {Geometry of map features, e.g. shape points, polygons or for simplified maps} - G08G 1/00: Traffic control systems for road vehicles (arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 {; automatic vehicle control B62D}) - G08G 1/09623: {Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle (G08G1/0967 takes precedence)} - G08G 1/09626: {where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map} - G08G 1/096725: {where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control} - G08G 1/202: {Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching} - B60W 2400/00: Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W 2420/54: Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound - B60W 2552/45: Pedestrian sidewalk - B60W 2552/53: Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk - B60W 2554/00: Input parameters relating to objects - B60W 2554/4029: Pedestrians - B60W 2554/4041: Position - B60W 2554/4044: Direction of movement, e.g. backwards - B60W 2720/10: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2720/103: Speed profile - B60W 2754/10: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects - G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection} - 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) - 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}) ## Abstract Aspects of the disclosure relate to generating a speed plan for an autonomous vehicle. As an example, the vehicle is maneuvered in an autonomous driving mode along a route using pre-stored map information. This information identifies a plurality of keep clear regions where the vehicle should not stop but can drive through in the autonomous driving mode. Each keep clear region of the plurality of keep clear regions is associated with a priority value. A subset of the plurality of keep clear regions is identified based on the route. A speed plan for stopping the vehicle is generated based on the priority values associated with the keep clear regions of the subset. The speed plan identifies a location for stopping the vehicle. The speed plan is used to stop the vehicle in the location. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of maneuvering a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the method comprising: maneuvering, by one or more processors, the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode along a route using pre-stored map information, the pre-stored map information identifying a plurality of keep clear regions that the vehicle can drive through in the autonomous driving mode but should not stop; identifying, by the one or more processors, a subset of the plurality of keep clear regions of the route; generating, by the one or more processors, a speed plan for stopping the vehicle without stopping within the subset of the plurality of the keep clear regions; and using, by the one or more processors, the speed plan to stop the vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the speed plan identifies a future location for stopping the vehicle prior to a destination of the speed plan without stopping at the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the speed plan includes information for controlling the deceleration of the vehicle to stop the vehicle without stopping within the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions are relevant to a path and a current location of the vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the speed plan includes adjusting a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, and the given keep clear region has a lowest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an active crosswalk and at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an inactive crosswalk, and the active crosswalk is associated with a higher priority value than the inactive crosswalk. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an active crosswalk, at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an intersection, and the active crosswalk is associated with a higher priority value than the intersection. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an area that crosses a lane of traffic. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein generating the speed plan includes adjusting a default minimum clearance value for a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the adjusted default minimum clearance value has a negative value to define an acceptable amount of overlap with the given keep clear region. ### Claim 11 A system for maneuvering a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the system comprising: one or more processors configured to: maneuver the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode along a route using pre-stored map information, the pre-stored map information identifying a plurality of keep clear regions that the vehicle can drive through in the autonomous driving mode but should not stop; identify a subset of the plurality of keep clear regions of the route; generate a speed plan for stopping the vehicle without stopping within the subset of the plurality of the keep clear regions; and use the speed plan to stop the vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the speed plan identifies a future location for stopping the vehicle prior to a destination of the speed plan without stopping at the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the speed plan includes information for controlling the deceleration of the vehicle to stop the vehicle without stopping within the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions are relevant to a path and a current location of the vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein determining the speed plan includes adjusting a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions, and the given keep clear region has a lowest priority value of all of the keep clear regions of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an active crosswalk and at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an inactive crosswalk, and the active crosswalk is associated with a higher priority value than the inactive crosswalk. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an active crosswalk, at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an intersection, and the active crosswalk is associated with a higher priority value than the intersection. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions corresponds to an area that crosses a lane of traffic. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein generating the speed plan includes adjusting a default minimum clearance value for a given keep clear region of the subset of the plurality of keep clear regions. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the adjusted default minimum clearance value has a negative value to define an acceptable amount of overlap with the given keep clear region.