Autonomous vehicle convoy communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10452079-B2
Application number	US-201816014711-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2018
Priority date	Feb 1, 2015
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving sensor data from one or more sensors of each of one or more vehicles, processing a combination of the sensor data to generate an assessment of an area surrounding the one or more vehicles based on one or more points-of-view of the area, the one or more points-of-view of the area generated based on synchronizing the combination of the sensor data, and detecting an occurrence of an event based on the assessment of the area. The method further includes identifying one or more instructions corresponding to the event, the instructions associated with a particular vehicle and sending one or more executable instructions based on the instructions to the particular vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a central computing device of a convoy comprising two or more autonomous vehicles, location information that indicates a location of each of the autonomous vehicles, wherein at least one of the autonomous vehicles in the convoy is a lead autonomous vehicle with one or more sensors;
computing, by the central computing device, based on the location information and environmental information generated using data from one or more of the sensors of the lead autonomous vehicle, moving instructions for one or more of the autonomous vehicles in the convoy; and
sending, by the central computing device, the moving instructions and the environmental information to the one or more of the autonomous vehicles, wherein the moving instructions instruct each of the one or more of the autonomous vehicles to determine and perform movements using:
one or more sensors associated with the autonomous vehicle;
the moving instructions; and
the environmental information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the central computing device is remote from the autonomous vehicles in the convoy.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the central computing device is in the lead autonomous vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the convoy is:
a fleet of autonomous vehicles;
a platoon of autonomous vehicles;
two or more autonomous vehicles traveling in concert in a same direction;
two or more autonomous vehicles traveling in a determined formation relative to each other;
two or more autonomous vehicles traveling together in a loose group; or
two or more autonomous vehicles generally following a path with stops or diversions to perform various functions.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the moving instructions are computed based on information transmitted from infrastructural equipment along a route taken by the convoy.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the central computing device of the convoy further receives route information that includes one or more conditions affecting travel of the convoy and road condition information from an outside coordinator, and
wherein the moving instructions are further computed based on the route information and the road condition information.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the location information is from the two or more autonomous vehicles.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least some of the moving instructions are computed based on the location information from the two or more autonomous vehicles.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the moving instructions are computed based on information transmitted from an outside coordinator.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the outside coordinator is a zone authority.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the central computing device of the convoy is associated with a sensor module that comprises one or more sensors that are configured to detect objects and conditions by discrete or line-of-sight signals or by distributed-field signals.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
detecting, by the sensor module, a hazard;
updating, by the central computing device, the moving instructions for the autonomous vehicles responsive to the hazard.

13. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:
receive, by a central computing device of a convoy comprising two or more autonomous vehicles, location information that indicates a location of each of the autonomous vehicles, wherein at least one of the autonomous vehicles in the convoy is a lead autonomous vehicle with one or more sensors;
compute, by the central computing device, based on the location information and environmental information generated using data from one or more of the sensors of the lead autonomous vehicle, moving instructions for one or more of the autonomous vehicles in the convoy; and
send, by the central computing device, the moving instructions and the environmental information to the one or more of the autonomous vehicles, wherein the moving instructions instruct each of the one or more of the autonomous vehicles to determine and perform movements using:
one or more sensors associated with the autonomous vehicle;
the moving instructions; and

the environmental information.

14. The media of claim 13 , wherein
the central computing device is in the lead autonomous vehicle.

15. The media of claim 13 , wherein the central computing device of the convoy is associated with a sensor module that comprises one or more sensors that are configured to detect objects and conditions by discrete or line-of-sight signals or by distributed-field signals.

16. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media coupled to one or more of the processors and comprising instructions operable when executed by one or more of the processors to cause the system to:
receive, by a central computing device of a convoy comprising two or more autonomous vehicles, location information that indicates a location of each of the autonomous vehicles, wherein at least one of the autonomous vehicles in the convoy is a lead autonomous vehicle with one or more sensors;
compute, by the central computing device, based on the location information and environmental information generated using data from one or more of the sensors of the lead autonomous vehicle, moving instructions for one or more of the autonomous vehicles in the convoy; and
send, by the central computing device, the moving instructions and the environmental information to the one or more of the autonomous vehicles, wherein the moving instructions instruct each of the one or more of the autonomous vehicles to determine and perform movements using:
one or more sensors associated with the autonomous vehicle;
the moving instructions; and
the environmental information.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the central computing device is in the lead autonomous vehicle.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the central computing device of the convoy is associated with a sensor module that comprises one or more sensors that are configured to detect objects and conditions by discrete or line-of-sight signals or by distributed-field signals.

Assignees

• Lyft Inc

Inventors

• Harvey Thomas Danaher

Classifications

• B60W30/06

  Automatic manoeuvring for parking · CPC title

• G08G1/168

  Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space · CPC title

• G08G1/22

  Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles · CPC title

• E04H6/422

  Automatically operated car-parks · CPC title

• G08G1/20

  Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles · CPC title