Autonomous vehicle routing based on chaos assessment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10345110-B2
Application number	US-201715676033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2017
Priority date	Aug 14, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A device and method for autonomous vehicle routing based on chaos assessment are provided. A plurality of route options based on destination objective data relative to current autonomous vehicle position data are generated. For each of the plurality of route options, an associated chaos level may be assessed, and an autonomous cooperability metric may be generated based on the associated chaos level. Autonomous selection of a route option of the plurality of route options is based on a favorable autonomous cooperability metric, and an autonomous mission description data is generated based on the route option that includes the favorable autonomous cooperability metric. The autonomous mission description data may be transmitted for autonomously engaging a destination being defined by the destination objective data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for routing an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:
generating a plurality of route options based on destination objective data relative to current autonomous vehicle position data;
for the each of the plurality of route options, assessing an associated chaos level;
for at least some of the plurality of route options, comparing the associated chaos level for a given route option with an autonomous cooperability metric threshold for the autonomous vehicle, each comparison indicative of whether the autonomous vehicle is capable of maintaining an autonomous mode of operation for the given route option;
autonomously selecting a route option of the plurality of route options based on the comparisons such that the autonomous vehicle autonomously reaches a destination defined by the destination objective data;
generating autonomous mission description data based on the selected route option; and
transmitting the autonomous mission description data for autonomously driving the destination defined by the destination objective data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein autonomously selecting the route option comprises selecting the route options that come within a travel time parameter.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating the plurality of route options further comprises:
ranking the plurality of route options based on a first criterion and a second criterion.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first criterion includes a travel distance parameter and the second criterion includes a travel time parameter.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first criterion and the second criterion are provided as a user preference.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associated chaos level is based on route condition data including at least one of:
map layer data;
near real-time crowd source data;
near real-time vehicular metric data; and
historic crowd source data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein autonomously selecting the route option comprises autonomously selecting the route options that are within a travel distance parameter.

8. A method for autonomous vehicle routing, the method comprising:
generating a plurality of route options based on destination objective data relative to current autonomous vehicle position data;
parsing each of the plurality of route options to form a sectional data set;
for the each of the plurality of route options:
assessing an associated chaos level for each one of the sectional data set; and
weighting the associated chaos level for the each one of the sectional data set that includes an elevated chaos level to produce a plurality of weighted chaos levels corresponding to the each one of the section data set;

for at least some of the plurality of route options, comparing the weighted chaos level of the each one of the sectional data set for a given route option with an autonomous cooperability metric threshold for the autonomous vehicle, each comparison indicative of whether the autonomous vehicle is capable of maintaining an autonomous mode of operation for the given route option;
autonomously selecting a route option of the plurality of route options based on the comparisons such that the autonomous vehicle autonomously reaches a destination defined by the destination objective data;
generating autonomous mission description data based on the selected route option; and
transmitting the autonomous mission description data for autonomously driving the destination defined by the destination objective data.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein autonomously selecting the route option comprises selecting the route options that come within a travel time parameter.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the generating the plurality of route options further comprises:
ranking the plurality of route options based on a first criterion and a second criterion.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first criterion includes a travel distance parameter and the second criterion includes a travel time parameter.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first criterion and the second criterion are provided as a user preference.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the associated chaos level being based on route condition data including at least one of:
map layer data;
near real-time crowd source data;
near real-time vehicular metric data; and
historic crowd source data.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein autonomously selecting the route option comprises autonomously selecting the route options that are within a travel distance parameter.

15. A vehicle control unit for an autonomous vehicle comprising:
a wireless communication interface to service communication with a vehicle network;
a processor communicably coupled to the wireless communication interface; and
memory communicably coupled to the processor and storing:
a route generation module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate a plurality of route options based on destination objective data relative to current autonomous vehicle position data;
for the each of the plurality of route options, assess an associated chaos level; and

an autonomous mission description module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive the route option for the each of the plurality of route options;
for at least some of the plurality of route options, compare the associated chaos level for a given route option with an autonomous cooperability metric threshold for the autonomous vehicle, each comparison indicative of whether the autonomous vehicle is capable of maintaining an autonomous mode of operation for the given route option;
autonomously select a route option of the plurality of route options based on the comparisons such that the autonomous vehicle autonomously reaches a destination defined by the destination objective data; and
generate autonomous mission description data based on the selected route option for transmission to autonomously drive the destination defined by the destination objective data.

16. The vehicle control unit of claim 15 , wherein the autonomous mission description module further includes instructions to autonomously select the route options that come within a travel time parameter.

17. The vehicle control unit of claim 15 , wherein the associated chaos level being based on route condition data including at least one of:
map layer data;
near real-time crowd source data;
near real-time vehicular metric data; and
historic crowd source data.

18. The vehicle control unit of claim 15 , wherein the autonomous mission description module further includes instructions to autonomously select the route options that are within a travel distance parameter.

19. The vehicle control unit of claim 15 , wherein the route generation module further includes instructions to rank the plurality of route options based on a first criterion and a second criterion.

20. The vehicle control unit of claim 19 , wherein the first criterion includes a travel distance parameter and the second criterion includes a travel time parameter.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Westover Nathan C
• Geller Benjamin M
• Chow Justin J

Classifications

• G01C21/3453 Primary

  Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments · CPC title

• G01C21/3461

  Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types or segments such as motorways, toll roads or ferries · CPC title

• G01C21/28

  with correlation of data from several navigational instruments · CPC title

• G05D1/0276

  using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle (involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058) · CPC title

• G05D2201/0213

  Physics · mapped topic