Fault handling in an autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9406177-B2
Application number	US-201414184860-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2014
Priority date	Dec 20, 2013
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

Data is collected during operation of a vehicle. A determination is made that a confidence assessment of at least one of the data indicates at least one fault condition. A first autonomous operation affected by the fault condition is discontinued, where a second autonomous operation that is unaffected by the fault condition is continued.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising a computer in a first vehicle, the computer comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the computer includes instructions to:
collect data during operation of the first vehicle;
determine that a confidence assessment of at least one of the data indicates at least one fault condition in at least one data-providing component in the first vehicle;
transmit a communication to at least one second vehicle indicating the at least one fault condition; and
receive at least one datum from a second vehicle;
determine an autonomous operation of the first vehicle based at least in part on the at least one datum.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the autonomous operation is one of maintaining a lane in a roadway, maintaining a speed, pulling to a side of a roadway, and bringing the first vehicle to a stop.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication includes data sent according to Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC).

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication is made using visual light emitted by the first vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer further includes instructions to use the at least one datum to determine a location of an obstacle.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one datum includes at least one of a location of the second vehicle, a location of an object on a roadway, a location of a lean on a roadway, a location of a third vehicle, and an instruction for operating the first vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fault condition is related to at least one of a sensor in a first vehicle and a reliability of a data value determined in the first vehicle.

8. A system, comprising a computer in a vehicle, the computer comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the computer includes instructions to:
collect data during operation of the first vehicle;
determine that a confidence assessment of at least one of the data indicates at least one fault condition in at least one data-providing component in the first vehicle; and
discontinue a first autonomous operation affected by the fault condition;
continue a second autonomous operation that is unaffected by the fault condition.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first autonomous operation and the second autonomous operation is one of maintaining a lane in a roadway, maintaining a speed, pulling to a side of a roadway, and bringing the first vehicle to a stop.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the computer further includes instructions to use the at least one datum to determine a location of an obstacle.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one datum includes at least one of a location of the second vehicle, a location of an object on a roadway, a location of a lean on a roadway, a location of a third vehicle, and an instruction for operating the first vehicle.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one fault condition is related to at least one of a sensor in a first vehicle and a reliability of a data value determined in the first vehicle.

13. A method, comprising:
collecting, in a first vehicle computer, data during operation of the first vehicle;
determining in the first vehicle computer that a confidence assessment of at least one of the data indicates at least one fault condition;
causing, by the first vehicle computer, transmission of a communication to at least one second vehicle indicating the at least one fault condition in at least one data-providing component in the first vehicle; and
receiving in the first vehicle computer at least one datum from the at least one second vehicle;
determining an autonomous operation of the first vehicle based at least in part on the at least one datum.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the autonomous operation is one of maintaining a lane in a roadway, maintaining a speed, pulling to a side of a roadway, and bringing the first vehicle to a stop.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the communication includes data sent according to Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC).

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the communication is made using visual light emitted by the first vehicle.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising using the at least one datum to determine a location of an obstacle.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one datum includes at least one of a location of the second vehicle, a location of an object on a roadway, a location of a lean on a roadway, a location of a third vehicle, and an instruction for operating the first vehicle.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one fault condition is related to at least one of a sensor in a first vehicle and a reliability of a data value determined in the first vehicle.

20. The method of claim 8 , wherein the confidence assessment includes determining a confidence interval in a set of confidence intervals into which a confidence value falls.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Attard Christopher
• Elwart Shane
• Greenberg Jeff Allen
• Johri Rajit
• Joyce John P
• Kochhar Devinder Singh
• Rhode Douglas Scott
• Shutko John
• Tseng Hongtei Eric

Classifications

• G07C5/008 Primary

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G07C5/0808

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title