Fuel-economy optimization for autonomous driving systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11619944-B2
Application number	US-202017108891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2020
Priority date	Dec 1, 2020
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

A method includes identifying route data including a threshold arrival time for a route for an autonomous vehicle (AV) and calculating, based on the route data and a fuel-efficient speed value for each segment of the route, an estimated arrival time. Responsive to the estimated arrival time not meeting the threshold arrival time, the method includes identifying at least a subset of segments that each represent a candidate for speed increase, computing, for each segment in the subset and based on the fuel economy data, a correlation metric that indicates a correlation between a change in fuel economy and a change in speed for a corresponding segment in the subset, and increasing, for at least one segment from the subset and based on a respective correlation metric, a fuel-efficient speed value of the corresponding segment from the subset to provide a speed profile reflecting the increased fuel-efficient speed value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
identifying route data for a route for an autonomous vehicle (AV), the route data comprising a threshold arrival time of the AV arriving at a destination;
determining, by a processing device based on fuel economy data associated with the AV, a fuel-efficient speed value for each of a plurality of segments of the route;
calculating, based on the route data and the fuel-efficient speed value for each of the plurality of segments of the route, an estimated arrival time of the AV arriving at the destination; and
responsive to the estimated arrival time of the AV arriving at the destination not meeting the threshold arrival time of the AV arriving at the destination:
identifying, among the plurality of segments, at least a subset of segments that each represent a candidate for speed increase;
computing, for each segment in the subset and based on the fuel economy data, a correlation metric that indicates a correlation between a change in fuel economy and a change in speed for a corresponding segment in the subset; and
increasing, for at least one segment from the subset and based on a respective correlation metric, a fuel-efficient speed value of the corresponding segment from the subset to provide a speed profile reflecting the increased fuel-efficient speed value of the corresponding segment, wherein the AV is to travel along the route based on the speed profile.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the fuel-efficient speed value for each of the plurality of segments comprises:
determining, based on regulatory speed limits and traffic data, a minimum threshold speed value and a maximum threshold speed value for each of the plurality of segments of the route;
obtaining, from the fuel economy data, the fuel-efficient speed value for each of the plurality of segments; and
responsive to the fuel-efficient speed value of a respective segment of the plurality of segments not meeting a corresponding minimum threshold speed value or a corresponding maximum threshold speed value, updating the fuel-efficient speed value for the respective segment to meet the corresponding minimum threshold speed value or the corresponding maximum threshold speed value.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel economy data comprises:
one or more first input values comprising a first speed value;
one or more first output values comprising a first fuel economy value, the one or more first output values resulting from one or more AVs driving in accordance with the one or more first input values;
one or more second input values comprising a second speed value; and
one or more second output values comprising a second fuel economy value, the one or more second output values resulting from the one or more AVs driving in accordance with the one or more second input values, wherein the change in fuel economy is based on the first fuel economy value and the second fuel economy value, and wherein the change in speed is based on the first speed value and the second speed value.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the one or more first input values further comprise a first grade value, a first total AV mass value, or a first wind value.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving first sensor data associated with the AV driving at a first speed value;
determining, based on the first sensor data, a first fuel economy value;
causing the fuel economy data to be updated based on the first fuel economy value and the first speed value; and
responsive to the first fuel economy value not being within a threshold range of fuel economy values associated with a plurality of AVs driving at the first speed value, providing an alert.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining, based on regulatory speed limits and traffic data, a plurality of minimum threshold speed values and a plurality of maximum threshold speed values for the route; and
dividing, based on the plurality of minimum threshold speed values and the plurality of maximum threshold speed values, the route into the plurality of segments, wherein each of the plurality of segments has a corresponding minimum threshold speed value and a corresponding maximum threshold speed value that are substantially constant.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining, based on regulatory speed limits and traffic data, a maximum threshold speed value for each of the plurality of segments, wherein each of the at least a subset of segments is below a corresponding maximum threshold speed value.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one segment from the subset has the respective correlation metric that indicates least decrease in fuel economy compared to increase in speed.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining, based on the speed profile, that a difference between a first fuel-efficient speed value of a first segment of the route and a second fuel-efficient speed value of a subsequent segment of the route exceeds a threshold speed difference value; and
adjusting change in speed between the first segment and the subsequent segment in the speed profile to meet the threshold speed difference value.

10. A system comprising:
a memory device; and
a processing device, coupled to the memory device, wherein the processing device is to:
identify route data for a route for an autonomous vehicle (AV), the route data comprising a threshold arrival time of the AV arriving at a destination;
determine, based on fuel economy data associated with the AV, a fuel-efficient speed value for each of a plurality of segments of the route;
calculate, based on the route data and the fuel-efficient speed value for each of the plurality of segments of the route, an estimated arrival time of the AV arriving at the destination; and
responsive to the estimated arrival time of the AV arriving at the destination not meeting the threshold arrival time of the AV arriving at the destination:
identify, among the plurality of segments, at least a subset of segments that each represent a candidate for speed increase;
compute, for each segment in the subset and based on the fuel economy data, a correlation metric that indicates a correlation between a change in fuel economy and a change in speed for a corresponding segment in the subset; and
increase, for at least one segment from the subset and based on a respective correlation metric, a fuel-efficient speed value of the corresponding segment from the subset to provide a speed profile reflecting the increased fuel-efficient speed value of the corresponding segment, wherein the AV is to travel along the route based on the speed profile.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein to determine the fuel-efficient speed value for each of the plurality of segments, the processing device is to:
determine, based on regulatory speed limits and traffic data, a minimum threshold speed value and a maximum threshold speed value for each of the plurality of segments of the route;
obtain, from the fuel economy data, the fuel-efficient speed value for each of the plurality of segments; and
responsive to the fuel-efficient speed value of a respective segment of the plurality of segments not meeting a corresponding minimum threshold speed value or a corresponding maximum threshold speed value, update the fuel-efficient speed value for the respective segment to meet the corresponding minimum threshold speed value or the corresponding maximum threshold speed value.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the fuel economy data comprises:
one or more first input values comprising a first speed value;
one or more first output val

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Grossman William
• Strohm Peter

Classifications

• G05D1/644

  Optimisation of travel parameters, e.g. of energy consumption, journey time or distance · CPC title

• B60W2720/12

  Lateral speed · CPC title

• B60W2720/10

  Longitudinal speed · CPC title

• B60W60/0023

  in response to energy consumption · CPC title

• B60W20/15

  Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect · CPC title