Selectively controlling a self-driving vehicle's access to a roadway

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9836973-B2
Application number	US-201615007335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2016
Priority date	Jan 27, 2016
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

A processor-implemented method selectively controls a self-driving vehicle's access to a roadway. A vehicle interrogation hardware device receives an autonomous capability signal from an approaching self-driving vehicle. One or more processors compare predefined roadway conditions to current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway. In response to the predefined roadway conditions matching the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway within a predetermined range, the processor(s) determine whether the level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway. In response to determining that the level of autonomous capability of the self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway, an automatic barricade controlling device positions an automatic barricade to provide the approaching self-driving vehicle with access to the access-controlled roadway.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processor-implemented method of selectively controlling a self-driving vehicle's access to a roadway, the processor-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a vehicle interrogation hardware device, an autonomous capability signal from an approaching self-driving vehicle, wherein the approaching self-driving vehicle is approaching an access-controlled roadway, wherein access to the access-controlled roadway is limited to self-driving vehicles that are deemed qualified to travel on the access-controlled roadway, and wherein the autonomous capability signal describes a level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle for maneuvering through predefined roadway conditions;
comparing, by one or more processors, the predefined roadway conditions to current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway;
in response to the predefined roadway conditions matching the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway within a predetermined range, determining, by one or more processors, whether the level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway; and
in response determining that the level of autonomous capability of the self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway, positioning, by an automatic barricade controlling device, an automatic barricade to provide the approaching self-driving vehicle with access to the access-controlled roadway, wherein the automatic barricade is a physical barricade that is positioned at an entrance of the access-controlled roadway.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the vehicle interrogation hardware device, that another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode; and
in response to determining that said another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode, positioning, by the automatic barricade controlling device, the automatic barricade to block said another approaching vehicle from accessing the access-controlled roadway.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the access-controlled roadway is a vehicular surface from a group consisting of street, a tunnel, a ferry, a parking spot, and a service bay.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, sensor readings from sensors that monitor the access-controlled roadway, wherein the sensor readings describe a current real-time condition of the access-controlled roadway; and
determining, by one or more processors, the current roadway conditions based on the received sensor readings.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the vehicle interrogation hardware device, a description of a physical state of the approaching self-driving vehicle;
retrieving, by one or more processors, an accident history of other vehicles that have a same physical state as that of the approaching self-driving vehicle while traveling on the access-controlled roadway;
determining, by one or more processors, whether the accident history of the other vehicles traveling on the access-controlled roadway exceeds a predetermined limit; and
in response to the one or more processors determining that the accident history of the other vehicles exceeds the predetermine limit while traveling on the access-controlled roadway, positioning, by the automatic barricade controlling device, the automatic barricade to block the approaching self-driving vehicle from accessing the access-controlled roadway.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway comprise a curve radius of a curve in the access-controlled roadway being less than a predefined value.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway comprise an absence of guardrails on one or more sections of the access-controlled roadway.

8. A computer program product for selectively controlling a self-driving vehicle's access to a roadway, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving an autonomous capability signal from an approaching self-driving vehicle, wherein the approaching self-driving vehicle is approaching an access-controlled roadway, wherein access to the access-controlled roadway is limited to self-driving vehicles that are deemed qualified to travel on the access-controlled roadway, and wherein the autonomous capability signal describes a level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle for maneuvering through predefined roadway conditions;
comparing the predefined roadway conditions to current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway;
in response to the predefined roadway conditions matching the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway within a predetermined range, determining whether the level of autonomous capability of the approaching self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway; and
in response to determining that the level of autonomous capability of the self-driving vehicle is adequate to safely maneuver the approaching self-driving vehicle through the current roadway conditions of the access-controlled roadway, positioning, via an automatic barricade controlling device, an automatic barricade to provide the approaching self-driving vehicle with access to the access-controlled roadway, wherein the automatic barricade is a physical barricade that is positioned at an entrance of the access-controlled roadway.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining that another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode; and
in response to determining that said another approaching vehicle is operating in manual mode, positioning, via the automatic barricade controlling device, the automatic barricade to block said another approaching vehicle from accessing the access-controlled roadway.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the access-controlled roadway is a vehicular surface from a group consisting of a ferry, a parking spot, and a service bay.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving sensor readings from sensors that monitor the access-controlled roadway, wherein the sensor readings describe a current real-time condition of the access-controlled roadway; and
determining the current roadway conditions based on the received sensor readings.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a description of a physical state of the approaching self-driving vehicle;
retrieving an accident history of other vehicles that have a same physical state as that of the approaching self-driving vehicle while traveling on the access-controlled roadway;
determining whether the accident history of the other vehicles traveling on the access-controlled roadway exceeds a predetermined limit; and
in response to determining that the accident history of the other vehicles exceeds the predetermine limit while traveling on the access-co

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Gordon Michael S
• Kozloski James R
• Kundu Ashish
• Malkin Peter K
• Pickover Clifford A

Classifications

• G08G1/097 Primary

  Supervising of traffic control systems, e.g. by giving an alarm if two crossing streets have green light simultaneously · CPC title

• E01F13/046

  the obstructing members moving up in a translatory motion, e.g. telescopic barrier posts (for lane control E01F9/594) · CPC title

• E01F13/06

  by swinging into open position about a {vertical or} horizontal axis parallel to the road direction, i.e. swinging gates · CPC title

• E01F13/04

  movable to allow or prevent passage {(E01F13/12, E01F15/12 take precedence; removing part of barrier for occasional passage E01F13/024; gates for allowing passage through fences E06B11/02)} · 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