Systems, methods, and apparatuses for implementing time sensitive autonomous intersection management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10437256-B2
Application number	US-201815934772-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2018
Priority date	Mar 23, 2017
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

In embodiments, an apparatus for intersection management of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles may include an input interface to receive an intersection crossing request from one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, the request including vehicle data; an output interface coupled to a transmitter, and an analyzer coupled to the input interface and to the output interface to process the request, based, at least in part, on the vehicle data, to generate a command including a crossing velocity and a time to assume the crossing velocity, and cause the transmitter, via the output interface, to transmit the command to the requesting vehicle. Other and related embodiments are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for intersection management of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, comprising:
an input interface to receive an intersection crossing request from one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, the request including vehicle data; an output interface coupled to a transmitter; and
an analyzer coupled to the input interface and to the output interface to: process the request, based, at least in part, on the vehicle data, to generate a command including a crossing velocity and a time to assume the crossing velocity, and cause the transmitter, via the output interface, to transmit the command to the requesting vehicle
wherein at least one of:
the crossing request is sent upon a vehicle passing a request line a distance ahead of the intersection, or
the vehicle data includes vehicle identification, input/output lane of travel, velocity, and time-stamp/position pair at the time of crossing the request line.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the crossing request from a vehicle follows a time synchronization message sent by the apparatus, and wherein the analyzer is further to generate the time synchronization message and cause the transmitter to transmit the time synchronization message to the vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the vehicle first requests the time synchronization message.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a memory coupled to the processor, to store one or more algorithms to be used by the analyzer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising the transmitter, and a receiver coupled to the input interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the apparatus is disposed in an autonomous intersection manager (IM); or the apparatus is integrated with the autonomous IM.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the intersection manager is provided at an intersection.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein generate a command including a crossing velocity and a specified time further includes check for conflicts between the requesting vehicle's trajectory and the trajectories of other vehicles already past the request line.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein generate a command including a crossing velocity and a specified time further includes to calculate a Time of Arrival (ToA) and an execution time (TE) for the requesting vehicle, and send TOA and TE to the requesting vehicle.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a clock, coupled to the analyzer, to provide an accurate time signal to the apparatus, to use in issuing one or more of synchronization commands or intersection crossing commands, to requesting vehicles.

11. A method of crossing through an intersection managed by an autonomous intersection manager (IM) performed by an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, comprising: receiving an instruction to synchronize a vehicle clock from an intersection manager (IM) of an intersection;
synchronizing the vehicle clock in response to the instruction;
upon traversing a request line ahead of the intersection, sending a request to the IM to cross through the intersection, the request including vehicle data;
receiving a response from the IM, the response including a new velocity and a time at which to assume the new velocity; and
conforming its velocity to the new velocity within the specified time and traversing the intersection at the new velocity;
wherein the vehicle data includes vehicle identification, input/output lane of travel, velocity, and time-stamp/position pair at the time of crossing the request line.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising requesting the synchronization instruction from the IM.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the response from the IM includes the vehicle's Time of Arrival (ToA) and an execution time (TE), as calculated by the IM.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, tracking the execution time and assuming the new velocity upon reaching the execution time.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed cause an intersection controller disposed in an intersection manager (IM), to:
receive an intersection crossing request from one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, the request including vehicle data;
process the request, based, at least in part, on the vehicle data, to generate a command including a crossing velocity and a specified time to assume the crossing velocity, and cause the IM to transmit the command to the requesting vehicle;

wherein at least one of:
the intersection crossing request is sent upon a vehicle passing a request line a distance ahead of the intersection, or
the vehicle data includes vehicle identification, input/output lane of travel, velocity, and time-stamp/position pair at the time of crossing the request line.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein a crossing request from a vehicle follows a time synchronization message, and further comprising code that, when executed, causes the intersection controller to generate the time synchronization message and the IM to transmit it to the vehicle.

17. An intersection management system, comprising: an intersection manager (IM) having:
a memory to store instructions;
a processor to execute the instructions; and a transceiver to send and receive data;
a plurality of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, each communicatively linked with the transceiver of the IM;
wherein each of the plurality of vehicles is to synchronize its clock to a clock of the IM;
wherein each vehicle is to transmit a request to cross the intersection, the request being submitted to the IM upon crossing a request line informing the IM of the vehicle identification, input/output lane of travel, velocity, and time-stamp/position pair at the time of crossing the request line;
wherein the IM is to receive the request to cross the intersection from a vehicle and assign to the vehicle a time to assume a new velocity through the intersection;
wherein the intersection manager is to transmit a response to the vehicle with the specified time and the new velocity;
wherein the vehicle is further to receive the response with the specified time and the new velocity and assume the new velocity at the specified time; and
wherein the vehicle it further to traverses the intersection at the new velocity.

Assignees

• Andert Edward
• Khayatian Mohammad
• Shrivastava Aviral
• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Andert Edward
• Khayatian Mohammad
• Shrivastava Aviral

Classifications

• G08G1/164

  Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/0276 Primary

  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

• H04W4/44 Primary

  for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H] · CPC title

• G08G1/166

  for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes · CPC title