Autonomous vehicle travel control systems and methods
View Patent ↗Method and system for enabling semi-autonomous or autonomous vehicle travel includes providing a vehicle travel management system which monitors the location of vehicles in a travel lane and the location of the travel lane, creating dedicated travel lanes for vehicles equipped with the vehicle travel management system, and managing travel of vehicles in the dedicated travel lanes to maximize travel speed of the vehicles and minimize collisions between the vehicles. The travel management may entail establishing and maintaining communications between the vehicles with the movement of the vehicles being coordinated to enable a minimal distance between adjacent vehicles in the dedicated travel lanes. Entry into the dedicated travel lanes is optimally restricted only to vehicles equipped with the vehicle travel management system.
1. A method for enabling semi-autonomous or autonomous vehicle travel, comprising:
providing a vehicle travel management system which monitors the location of vehicles in a travel lane and the location of the travel lane;
creating restricted travel lanes in which vehicles equipped with the vehicle travel management system are permitted to travel and providing the location of the restricted travel lanes to the vehicle management system; and
managing travel of a plurality of the vehicles equipped with the vehicle travel management system in each of the restricted travel lanes in consideration of speed of each vehicle and position of each vehicle to enable the plurality of vehicles to travel in the same restricted travel lane with a minimum separation distance therebetween and thereby maximize travel speed of the vehicles in the same restricted travel lane, and to minimize collisions between the vehicles in the same restricted travel lane.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of managing travel in the restricted travel lanes comprises establishing and maintaining communications between the vehicles using communications systems in each vehicle equipped with the vehicle travel management system.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising restricting entry into the restricted travel lanes only to vehicles equipped with the vehicle travel management system.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of managing travel in the restricted travel lanes comprises arranging a vehicle control system in each vehicle and enabling the vehicle control system to assume control of vehicle travel without requiring driving by an occupant of the vehicle.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a vehicle travel management system comprises:
arranging a position determining system in each vehicle to determine the position of the vehicle;
arranging a communications system in each vehicle to communicate with other vehicles; and
utilizing the communications systems in the vehicle to transmit the position of each vehicle to other vehicles.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a vehicle travel management system comprises arranging a system in each vehicle to determine the position of the vehicle and transmit signals indicative of the determined position.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising encoding the signals indicative of the determined position using a code based on the determined position.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
arranging a map database in each vehicle which includes data about the restricted travel lanes; and
automatically controlling movement of the vehicle based on the data about the restricted travel lanes in the map database.
9. A system for enabling semi-autonomous or autonomous vehicle travel of vehicles in restricted travel lanes, comprising:
a position determining system for determining the location of the vehicles; and
in each vehicle,
a communications system for facilitating communications between vehicles including communications about the location of the vehicles in the restricted travel lanes; and
a vehicle control system coupled to said communications system in the vehicle for analyzing the location of the vehicles and controlling the travel of the vehicle in the restricted travel lanes based thereon,
said vehicle control systems in the vehicles being arranged to control travel of the vehicles in the same restricted travel lane based on the location of the vehicles and speed of the vehicles in order to enable a minimal separation distance between adjacent vehicles in the restricted travel lane,
whereby vehicles equipped with the communications system and vehicle control system are permitted to travel in the restricted travel lanes.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein said position determining system comprises a vehicle-based determining system arranged in each vehicle and coupled to said communications system such that the determined location of each vehicle is transmitted by said communications system to other vehicles.
11. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a map database arranged in each vehicle and including data about the restricted travel lanes, said vehicle control system being coupled to said map database and being arranged to control the travel of the vehicle based on data about the restricted travel lanes in the map database.
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein said vehicle control systems in the vehicles are further arranged to control travel of the vehicles based on the location of the vehicles in order to maximize travel speed of the vehicles and/or minimize collisions between vehicles.
13. A method for enabling semi-autonomous or autonomous vehicle travel, comprising:
providing a vehicle travel management system which monitors the location of vehicles in a travel lane and the location of the travel lane;
creating restricted travel lanes for vehicles equipped with the vehicle travel management system;
arranging a map database in each vehicle which includes data about the restricted travel lanes; and
managing travel of the vehicles equipped with the vehicle travel management system in the restricted travel lanes to maximize travel speed of the vehicles in the restricted travel lanes and minimize collisions between the vehicles in the restricted travel lanes,
the step of managing travel of the vehicle comprising automatically controlling movement of the vehicles in the restricted travel lanes based on the data about the travel lanes in the map database.
14. A system for enabling semi-autonomous or autonomous vehicle travel of vehicles in restricted travel lanes, comprising:
a position determining system for determining the location of the vehicles;
in each vehicle,
a communications system for facilitating communications between vehicles including communications about the location of the vehicles; and
a vehicle control system coupled to said communications system in the vehicle for analyzing the location of the vehicles and controlling the travel of the vehicle based thereon; and
a map database arranged in each vehicle and including data about restricted travel lanes,
said vehicle control system being coupled to said map database and being arranged to control the travel of the vehicle based on data about restricted travel lanes in the map database.