Navigating minor-major intersections with an autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023331230-A1
Application number	US-202217723006-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 18, 2022
Priority date	Apr 18, 2022
Publication date	Oct 19, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Approaches to managing navigation of autonomous vehicles through minor-major intersections are disclosed. A minor-major intersection is detected. Shadow tracks are generated for occlusions associated with the minor-major intersection. A maneuver evaluation is performed based on induced kinematic discomfort and post-encroachment time. Preliminary lateral and longitudinal planning is performed based on shadow tracks, induced kinematic discomfort and post-encroachment time to generate one or more proposed trajectories. Final trajectory generation is performed by refining at least one of the one or more proposed trajectories to generate the final trajectory. The autonomous vehicle performs a selected maneuver corresponding to the final trajectory within the minor-major intersection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to:
detect a minor-major intersection; generate shadow tracks for occlusions associated with the minor-major intersection; perform maneuver evaluation based on one or more of induced kinematic discomfort and post-encroachment time; perform preliminary lateral and longitudinal planning based on shadow tracks, induced kinematic discomfort and post-encroachment time to generate one or more proposed trajectories; and cause an autonomous vehicle to perform a selected maneuver within the minor-major intersection corresponding to the one or more proposed trajectories.

2 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processors to perform final trajectory generation by refining at least one of the one or more proposed trajectories to generate a final trajectory.

3 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the shadow tracks comprise path representations of road users that could emerge from an obscured region caused by an intersection occlusion.

4 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein induced kinematic discomfort represents discomfort caused by the autonomous vehicle on another road user as a result of the other road user changing a kinematic characteristic in response to the autonomous vehicle performing the selected maneuver.

5 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4 wherein induced kinematic discomfort evaluation is selectively modulated in response to real-time detection of a yielding action by the other road user.

6 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein post-encroachment time represents an amount of travel time for another road user as a result after the autonomous vehicle performing the selected maneuver.

7 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the minor-major intersection is controlled by a stop sign.

8 . An autonomous vehicle comprising:
one or more sensor systems to detect characteristics of an operating environment; a kinematic control system to provide kinematic controls to the autonomous vehicle; a vehicle control system coupled with the sensor systems and with the kinematic control system, the vehicle control system to:
detect a minor-major intersection;
generate shadow tracks for occlusions associated with the minor-major intersection;
perform maneuver evaluation based on one or more of induced kinematic discomfort and post-encroachment time;
perform preliminary lateral and longitudinal planning based on shadow tracks, induced kinematic discomfort and post-encroachment time to generate one or more proposed trajectories; and
cause an autonomous vehicle to perform a selected maneuver within the minor-major intersection corresponding to the one or more proposed trajectories.

9 . The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 wherein the vehicle control system is further configured to perform final trajectory generation by refining at least one of the one or more proposed trajectories to generate a final trajectory.

10 . The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 wherein the shadow tracks comprise path representations of road users that could emerge from an obscured region caused by an intersection occlusion.

11 . The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 wherein induced kinematic discomfort represents discomfort caused by the autonomous vehicle on another road user as a result of the other road user changing a kinematic characteristic in response to the autonomous vehicle performing the selected maneuver.

12 . The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 wherein post-encroachment time represents an amount of travel time for another road user as a result after the autonomous vehicle performing the selected maneuver.

13 . The autonomous vehicle of claim 12 post-encroachment time evaluation is selectively modulated in response to real-time detection of a yielding action by the other road user.

14 . The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 wherein the minor-major intersection is controlled by a stop sign.

15 . A system comprising:
a memory system; and one or more hardware processors coupled with the memory system, the one or more processors to:
detect a minor-major intersection;
generate shadow tracks for occlusions associated with the minor-major intersection;
perform maneuver evaluation based on one or more of induced kinematic discomfort and post-encroachment time;
perform preliminary lateral and longitudinal planning based on shadow tracks, induced kinematic discomfort and post-encroachment time to generate one or more proposed trajectories; and
cause an autonomous vehicle to perform a selected maneuver within the minor-major intersection corresponding to the one or more proposed trajectories.

16 . The system of claim 15 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform final trajectory generation by refining at least one of the one or more proposed trajectories to generate a final trajectory.

17 . The system of claim 15 wherein the shadow tracks comprise path representations of road users that could emerge from an obscured region caused by an intersection occlusion.

18 . The system of claim 15 wherein induced kinematic discomfort represents discomfort caused by the autonomous vehicle on another road user as a result of the other road user changing a kinematic characteristic in response to the autonomous vehicle performing the selected maneuver.

19 . The system of claim 15 wherein post-encroachment time represents an amount of travel time for another road user as a result after the autonomous vehicle performing the selected maneuver. sign.

20 . The system of claim 15 wherein the minor-major intersection is controlled by a stop sign.

Assignees

• Gm Cruise Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Malaran Adrian Kit
• Allan Jeremy
• Jain Abhishek

Classifications

• B60W30/18159 Primary

  Traversing an intersection · CPC title

• B60W60/0027

  using trajectory prediction for other traffic participants · CPC title

• B60W2552/05

  Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads · CPC title

• B60W2555/60

  Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way · CPC title

• B60W2552/53

  Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk · CPC title