Attempting to pull over for autonomous vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9547307-B1
Application number	US-201414549977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 21, 2014
Priority date	May 23, 2014
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle having one or more computing devices that may receive instructions to pick up a passenger at a pickup location and determine when the vehicle is within a first distance of the pickup location. When the vehicle is within the first distance, the computing devices may make a first attempt to find a spot to park the vehicle and wait for the passenger. When the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the first attempt, the computing devices may maneuvering the vehicle in order to make a second attempt to find a spot to park the vehicle and wait for the passenger. When the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the second attempt, the computing devices may stop the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by one or more computing devices, instructions to pick up a passenger at a pickup location for a trip;
determining, by the one or more computing devices, when a vehicle is within a first distance of the pickup location;
when the vehicle is within the first distance, making a first attempt, by the one or more computing devices, to find a spot to park the vehicle and wait for the passenger within the first distance of the pickup location;
when the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the first attempt, maneuvering, by the one or more computing devices, the vehicle in order to make a second attempt to find a spot to park the vehicle and wait for the passenger; and
when the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the second attempt, stopping, by the one or more computing devices, the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before maneuvering the vehicle in order to make the second attempt, attempting, by the one or more computing devices, to detect and identify a client computing device associated with the passenger, and wherein maneuvering the vehicle in order to make the second attempt occurs after the one or more computing devices are unable to detect and authenticate the client computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before stopping the vehicle in the current lane to wait for the passenger, attempting, by the one or more computing devices, to detect and identify a client computing device associated with the passenger, and wherein stopping the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger occurs after the one or more computing devices are able to detect and authenticate the client computing device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, sending, by the one or more computing devices, a notification to a client computing device associated with the passenger indicating that the vehicle can stop in the current lane to wait for the passenger.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising, receiving, by the one or more computing devices, confirmation that the passenger will meet the vehicle in the current lane.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before stopping the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger, determining, by the one or more computing devices, that the vehicle can stop and wait in the current lane for the passenger.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein making the first attempt includes attempting to find a parking spot outside of any traffic lane.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before maneuvering the vehicle in order to make a second attempt, stopping the vehicle at the pickup location for a predetermined period of time to wait for the passenger.

9. A system comprising one or more computing devices configured to:
receive instructions to pick up a passenger at a pickup location for a trip;
determine when the vehicle is within a first distance of the pickup location;
when the vehicle is within the first distance, make a first attempt to find a spot to park a vehicle and wait for the passenger within the first distance of the pickup location;
when the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the first attempt, maneuver the vehicle in order to make a second attempt to find a spot to park the vehicle and wait for the passenger; and
when the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the second attempt, stop the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to, before maneuvering the vehicle in order to make the second attempt, attempt to detect and identify a client computing device associated with the passenger, and to maneuver the vehicle in order to make the second attempt after the one or more computing devices are unable to detect and authenticate the client computing device.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to before stopping the vehicle in the current lane to wait for the passenger, attempt to detect and identify a client computing device associated with the passenger, and to stop the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger after the one or more computing devices are able to detect and authenticate the client computing device.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to send a notification to a client computing device associated with the passenger indicating that the vehicle can stop in the current lane to wait for the passenger.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to receive confirmation that the passenger will meet the vehicle in the current lane.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to, before stopping the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger, determining that the vehicle can stop and wait in the current lane for the passenger.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to make the first attempt by attempting to find a parking spot outside of any traffic lane.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to, before maneuvering the vehicle in order to make a second attempt, stop the vehicle at the pickup location for a predetermined period of time to wait for the passenger.

17. The system of claim 9 , further comprising the vehicle.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving instructions to pick up a passenger at a pickup location for a trip;
determining when the vehicle is within a first distance of the pickup location;
when the vehicle is within the first distance, making a first attempt to find a spot to park a vehicle and wait for the passenger within the first distance of the pickup location;
when the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the first attempt, maneuvering the vehicle in order to make a second attempt to find a spot to park the vehicle and wait for the passenger; and
when the vehicle is unable to find a spot to park the vehicle on the second attempt, stopping the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger.

19. The medium of claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises, before maneuvering the vehicle in order to make the second attempt, attempting to detect and identify a client computing device associated with the passenger, and maneuvering the vehicle in order to make the second attempt occurs after the one or more computing devices are unable to detect and authenticate the client computing device.

20. The medium of claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises, before stopping the vehicle in the current lane to wait for the passenger, attempting to detect and identify a client computing device associated with the passenger, and stopping the vehicle in a current lane to wait for the passenger occurs after the one or more computing devices are able to detect and authenticate the client computing device.

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Cullinane Brian Douglas
• Lu David Tse-Zhou
• Aula Anne Kristiina
• Arden Jennifer
• Fairfield Nathaniel
• Herbach Joshua Seth
• Johnson Calvin Karl
• Hubert Renaud-Roland

Classifications

• B60W60/0025

  specially adapted for specific operations · CPC title

• B60R25/24 Primary

  using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user · CPC title

• B60W2554/00

  Input parameters relating to objects · CPC title

• G01C21/3667

  Display of a road map (G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635) · CPC title

• G01C21/20

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title