Autonomous vehicle positioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11249480-B2
Application number	US-201916536231-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2019
Priority date	Aug 8, 2019
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to determine traffic configuration parameters, such as location and speed, that are correlated with optimal traffic flow specific to particular road regions. In a specific embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a vehicle positioning system which utilizes a multi-client server application model configured to perform predictive analysis based upon data collected from a plurality of data streams, infrastructure elements, and vehicles. In a particular implementation, roadways may be partitioned into road regions which may be associated with vehicle configuration templates. Vehicle configuration templates may define instructions for automated vehicle driving parameters within a particular road region. In a specific embodiment, the vehicle positioning system may invoke transition sequences based upon real-time traffic data to modify a given traffic configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for configuring a plurality of vehicles within a first road region, the plurality of vehicles comprising a computing device configured to communicate with the plurality of vehicles over a network, the computing device comprising a processor, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executable by the processor, perform steps of:
determining, based on traffic flow parameters for the first road region, vehicle configuration templates corresponding to the plurality of vehicles within the first road region, wherein a vehicle configuration template comprises a set of instructions to control at least one of a desired vehicle dynamic parameter and position parameter of a corresponding vehicle of the plurality of vehicles within the first road region, further wherein the set of instructions for the vehicle configuration templates are chosen to control at least one of position and dynamics of their corresponding vehicles to achieve a desired traffic flow in the first road region; and
providing the vehicle configuration templates to their respective vehicles to implement a vehicle transition sequence based on the vehicle configuration templates, wherein the vehicle transition sequence comprises autonomously or semi-autonomously operating one or more of the plurality of vehicles within the first road region to adjust at least one of their respective vehicle positions and dynamics to achieve the desired traffic flow.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first road region comprises a road configuration pertaining to at least one of a number of lanes in a road region, a type of lane, and a geometry of the road.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle configuration template comprises a first set of configuration parameters pertaining to a first lane, wherein the first set of configuration parameters comprises one or more of:
a maximum speed;
a maximum number of vehicles within the first road region; and
a clearance distance between vehicles within the first road region.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle configuration template further comprises a second set of configuration parameters pertaining to a second lane, wherein one or more of the second set of configuration parameters are different from the first set of configuration parameters.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vehicles are configured to communicate to the system one or more of a vehicle position, vehicle dynamics information, and a destination, wherein the destination defines one or more driving maneuvers.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the vehicle configuration template is based on the destination of one or more vehicles within the first road region.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle configuration template is dependent on a time of day.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first road region comprises a boundary separating the first road region from a second to road region, and wherein different vehicle configuration templates are determined for the second road region to accommodate conditions in the second road region and to facilitate transition to different vehicle configuration parameters for corresponding vehicles entering the second road region from the first road region.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising determining a current traffic configuration within the first road region, wherein determining the current traffic configuration within the first road region comprises:
receiving a first vehicle position and first vehicle dynamic information from vehicles at a first boundary of the first road region;
receiving a second vehicle position and second vehicle dynamic information from the vehicles at a second boundary of the first road region; and
determining a traffic configuration based on one or more of:
a difference between the first vehicle position and the second vehicle position and first vehicle dynamic information and the second vehicle dynamic information received at the second boundary and the first boundary;
a time it takes for a vehicle to traverse the first road region;
a number of vehicles that traverse the first road region in a period of time; and
one or more detected lane changes that occurred within the first road region.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executable by the processor, further perform the steps of:
generating a traffic configuration modification, wherein a traffic configuration modification comprises a change in vehicle position or vehicle dynamics for one or more vehicles;
queueing one or more traffic configuration modifications; and
implementing the vehicle transition sequence to satisfy the traffic configuration modification at periodic intervals until there are no outstanding queued traffic configuration modifications.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein a traffic configuration modification is generated for vehicles traveling from the first road region in a direction of a second road region, when a road configuration of the first road region is different from a second road region.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein a traffic configuration modification is generated upon receiving a vehicle maneuver request from a vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle maneuver request is received by the vehicle based on a destination of the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle configuration template is generated by:
monitoring traffic flow pertaining to the first road region;
implementing a mathematical model to correlate monitored vehicle position and vehicle dynamics to the monitored traffic flow;
determining one or more vehicle configuration parameters based on the monitored traffic flow; and
generating the vehicle configuration template based on the determined vehicle configuration parameters.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle configuration templates when implemented by the plurality of vehicles cause their respective vehicles to automatically configure themselves to a new vehicle configuration to achieve a desired traffic flow.

16. A method of generating vehicle configuration templates for a plurality of vehicles within a road region, the method comprising:
determining traffic flow parameters based on collected traffic flow data;
correlating vehicle configuration parameters to improved traffic flow parameters;
determining desired vehicle configuration parameters based on correlations between the vehicle configuration parameters and the improved traffic flow parameters;
generating the vehicle configuration templates, the vehicle configuration templates comprising a set of instructions to control at least one of position and dynamics of their corresponding vehicles to achieve improved traffic flow; and
providing the vehicle configuration templates to their respective vehicles to implement a vehicle transition sequence based on the vehicle configuration templates, wherein the vehicle transition sequence comprises autonomously or semi-autonomously operating one or more of the plurality of vehicles to adjust at least one of their respective vehicle positions and dynamics to achieve the improved traffic flow.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the traffic flow parameters comprise one or more of a flow rate or a traffic density.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein a positional parameter relates to one or more of a vehicle location, a lane in which the vehicle is traveling, or clearing distance between vehicles.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor North America Inc

Inventors

• Meyer Scott R

Classifications

• G08G1/0133

  for classifying traffic situation · CPC title

• G08G1/0967

  Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits (transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) · CPC title

• G08G1/09

  Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions ({railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B}; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00) · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G08G1/0112 Primary

  from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD] · CPC title