Associating passenger docking locations with destinations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9519290-B2
Application number	US-201514597515-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2015
Priority date	Jan 15, 2015
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A method and apparatus for associating passenger docking locations with destinations are disclosed. Associating passenger docking locations with destinations may include an autonomous vehicle identifying transportation network information representing a vehicle transportation network, including a primary destination, wherein identifying the transportation network information includes identifying the transportation network information such that the transportation network information includes docking location information representing a plurality of docking locations, wherein each docking location corresponds with a respective location in the vehicle transportation network, and such that at least one docking location from the plurality of docking locations is associated with the primary destination. The autonomous vehicle may determine a target docking location from the plurality of docking locations for the primary destination based on the transportation network information, identify a route from an origin to the target docking location, and travel from the origin to the target docking location using the route.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous vehicle comprising:
a processor configured to execute instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium to:
identify transportation network information representing a vehicle transportation network, the vehicle transportation network including a primary destination, wherein identifying the transportation network information includes identifying the transportation network information such that the transportation network information includes docking location information representing a plurality of docking locations, wherein each docking location from the plurality of docking locations corresponds with a respective location in the vehicle transportation network, and such that at least one docking location from the plurality of docking locations is associated with the primary destination,
determine a target docking location from the plurality of docking locations for the primary destination based on the transportation network information, and
identify a route from an origin to the target docking location in the vehicle transportation network using the transportation network information; and

a trajectory controller configured to operate the autonomous vehicle to travel from the origin to the target docking location using the route.

2. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium to:
in response to performing a docking operation at the target docking location, identify a secondary destination in the vehicle transportation network, wherein the secondary destination is a parking area associated with the primary destination, and wherein the trajectory controller is configured to operate the autonomous vehicle to park at the secondary destination;
identify a subsequent route from the target docking location to the secondary destination in the vehicle transportation network using the transportation network information, and wherein the trajectory controller is configured to operate the autonomous vehicle to travel from the target docking location to the secondary destination using the route.

3. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium to identify the transportation network information such that the docking location information is based on operating information for a plurality of vehicles, wherein the operating information includes a plurality of operations, wherein each operation from the plurality of operations is associated with a respective vehicle from the plurality of vehicles, and wherein each docking location from the plurality of docking locations corresponds with a respective operation from the plurality of operations.

4. The autonomous vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium to identify the transportation network information such that the target docking location from the plurality of docking locations is associated with the primary destination on a condition that an operation from the plurality of operations corresponding to the docking location indicates the primary destination and a distance between the target docking location and the primary destination is within a defined threshold.

5. The autonomous vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle transportation network includes a plurality of candidate destinations, wherein the primary destination is one of the plurality of candidate destinations, and wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium to identify the transportation network information such that the target docking location from the plurality of docking locations is associated with the primary destination on a condition that a distance between the primary destination and the target docking location is minimized.

6. The autonomous vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the distance between the primary destination and the target docking location is minimized by:
generating a plurality of distances by determining a respective distance between the target docking location and each candidate destination from the plurality of candidate destinations based on the transportation network information, wherein determining the respective distance between the target docking location and a candidate destination from the plurality of candidate destinations includes determining a distance between the target docking location and a location of the primary destination; and
selecting, as the primary destination, the candidate destination corresponding to the minimal distance from the plurality of distances.

7. The autonomous vehicle of claim 6 , wherein determining the distance between the target docking location and the location of the primary destination includes:
determining a distance between the target docking location and a defined entrance location for the primary destination, on a condition that the transportation network information identifies the defined entrance location for the primary destination;
determining a distance between the target docking location and a predicted entrance location for the primary destination, on a condition that the transportation network information omits a defined entrance location for the primary destination and the transportation network information identifies the predicted entrance location;
determining a distance between the target docking location and an edge location of the primary destination, on a condition that the transportation network information omits a defined entrance location for the primary destination, the transportation network information omits a predicted entrance location for the primary destination, and the transportation network information identifies the edge location of the primary destination; and
determining a distance between the target docking location and a defined location of the primary destination, on a condition that the transportation network information omits a defined entrance location for the primary destination, the transportation network information omits a predicted entrance location for the primary destination, and the transportation network information omits an edge location of the primary destination.

8. The autonomous vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the defined location of the primary destination is a global positioning system (GPS) location.

9. The autonomous vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium to identify the transportation network information such that the docking location information includes a set of docking locations from the plurality of docking locations, wherein each docking location from the set of docking locations is associated with the primary destination, and such that the target docking location is associated with the primary destination by:
identifying a plurality of docking location clusters based on the set of docking locations; and
associating the target docking location with the primary destination based on the plurality of docking location clusters, wherein associating the target docking location with the primary destination includes identifying a selected docking location cluster from the plurality of docking location clusters such that a size of the selected docking location cluster is maximal.

10. The autonomous vehicle of claim 9 , wherein associating the target docking location with the primary destination includes:
identifying a docking location cluster mean for the selected docking location cluster; and
using

Assignees

• Nissan North America Inc

Inventors

• Kojo Naoki
• Thakur Siddharth Kumar
• Meuleau Nicolas
• Saito Daisuke
• Lele Nikhil

Classifications

• G01C21/34

  Route searching; Route guidance · CPC title

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title

• G05D1/0225

  involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay (parking aids B62D15/027) · CPC title

• G05D1/0291 Primary

  Fleet control (monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127) · CPC title

• G05D1/0217 Primary

  in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria · CPC title