Remote assistance for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12065168-B2
Application number	US-202117462963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2021
Priority date	Aug 31, 2021
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

Techniques for providing remote assistance to a vehicle are discussed. The techniques include receiving, from a vehicle, an indication of an event and displaying, on a display and to a user, a portion of an environment including the vehicle. The techniques further determine a valid region in the portion of the environment associated with a location at which the vehicle is capable of navigating. The techniques also display, on the display a footprint of the vehicle, where the footprint is associated with a position and orientation. The techniques further include transmitting the position and orientation of the footprint to the vehicle, which causes the vehicle to traverse in the environment to the position and orientation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by a remote assistance system and from a vehicle, an indication of an event;
displaying, on a display of the remote assistance system and to a user, a portion of an environment comprising the vehicle;
determining, by the remote assistance system, a valid region in the portion of the environment, the valid region associated with a location to which the vehicle is capable of navigating;
displaying, on the display of the remote assistance system, the valid region;
receiving, by the remote assistance system, first user input defining a target vehicle footprint, the target vehicle footprint associated with a target position and orientation of the vehicle within the valid region;
displaying, on the display of the remote assistance system and based at least in part on the first user input, the target vehicle footprint;
receiving, by the remote assistance system, second user input confirming the target vehicle footprint; and
transmitting the target position and orientation from the remote assistance system to the vehicle, wherein transmitting the target position and orientation to the vehicle causes the vehicle to traverse the environment to the target position and orientation.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the valid region comprises a region in the environment upon which the vehicle is capable of driving and is otherwise precluded from driving upon during nominal driving.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the valid region is dynamically generated as the user moves a target footprint within the portion of the environment.

4. The system of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
displaying a plurality of candidate footprint locations in the portion of the environment.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the target vehicle footprint has a shape and dimensions approximating the vehicle and wherein the target position is one or more of ahead of a location of the vehicle or behind the location of the vehicle.

6. A method comprising:
receiving, by a remote assistance system from a vehicle, an indication of an event;
displaying, on a display of the remote assistance system and to a user, a portion of an environment comprising the vehicle;
determining, by the remote assistance system, a valid region in the portion of the environment associated with a location at which the vehicle is capable of navigating, wherein the valid region is dynamically generated as the user moves a target vehicle footprint within the portion of the environment;
receiving, by the remote assistance system, user input confirming the target vehicle footprint, the target vehicle footprint associated with a target position and orientation of the vehicle within the valid region; and
transmitting the target position and orientation of the target vehicle footprint from the remote assistance system to the vehicle, wherein transmitting the target position and orientation to the vehicle causes the vehicle to traverse in the environment to the target position and orientation.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the valid region comprises a region in the environment upon which the vehicle is capable of driving.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising displaying, on the display and to the user, the valid region, wherein a visual indicator of the valid region is dynamically updated to indicate whether a location of the target vehicle footprint is valid as the user moves the target vehicle footprint within the portion of the environment.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising: displaying a plurality of candidate vehicle footprints in the portion of the environment, wherein a candidate vehicle footprint allows the vehicle to pull off of a roadway.

10. The method of claim 6 :
wherein the target vehicle footprint comprises a safety buffer dimensioned about a periphery of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the location of the valid region is determined from a map of the environment in which the vehicle is operating.

12. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
automatically reducing a speed of the vehicle based at least in part on receiving the indication of the event.

13. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
based at least in part on the event being resolved:
determining a departure path for the vehicle to pull out onto a roadway; and
communicating the departure path to the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein the indication of the event is an indication that the vehicle is stopped due to an obstacle, and wherein the vehicle cannot navigate around the obstacle in a forward direction.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining the valid region includes identifying a region that provides space for the vehicle to navigate around the obstacle in the forward direction.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
determining that the vehicle stopped at the target vehicle footprint; and
based at least in part on determining that the vehicle stopped at the target vehicle footprint:
determining a path for the vehicle to drive around the obstacle; and
communicating the path to the vehicle.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by a remote assistance system from a vehicle, an indication of an event;
displaying, on a display and to a user of the remote assistance system, a portion of an environment comprising the vehicle;
determining, by the remote assistance system, a valid region in the portion of the environment associated with a location at which the vehicle is capable of navigating, wherein the valid region is dynamically generated as the user moves a target vehicle footprint within the portion of the environment;
receiving, by the remote assistance system, user input confirming the target vehicle footprint, the target vehicle footprint associated with a target position and orientation of the vehicle within the valid region; and
transmitting the target position and orientation of the target vehicle footprint from the remote assistance system to the vehicle, wherein transmitting the target position and orientation to the vehicle causes the vehicle to traverse in the environment to the target position and orientation.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , the operations further comprising:
displaying a plurality of candidate footprints in the portion of the environment, wherein each of the candidate footprints allow the vehicle to pull off of a roadway.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , wherein the event includes an indication that the vehicle is stopped due to an obstacle, and wherein the vehicle cannot navigate around the obstacle in a forward direction.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein determining the valid region includes identifying a region that provides space for the vehicle to navigate around the obstacle in the forward direction.

Assignees

• Zoox Inc

Inventors

• Funke Joseph
• Gogna Ravi
• Li Caili
• Qian Steven Cheng
• Thalman Jacob Patrick
• Yu Ruikun

Classifications

• G05D1/225

  operated by off-board computers · CPC title

• B60W30/0956

  the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters · CPC title

• B60W2556/45

  External transmission of data to or from the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W2554/4041

  Position · CPC title

• B60W40/12

  related to parameters of the vehicle itself {, e.g. tyre models} · CPC title