IP Library Granted Patent US 11,112,789
Granted Patent B2
US 11,112,789 · App. 15/624,838 · Granted Sep 7, 2021

Intervention in operation of a vehicle having autonomous driving capabilities

Inventors: Shih-Yuan Liu (Boston, MA); Harshavardhan Ravichandran (Singapore, SG); Karl Iagnemma (Belmont, MA); Hsun-Hsien Chang (Brookline, MA)
Assignee: Motional AD LLC
G05D1/0038G05D1/0027G05D1/0044G05D1/0055G05D1/0088G07C5/008G07C5/0816G05D2201/0213
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,112,789
App. No.
15/624,838
Granted
Sep 7, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Among other things, a determination is made that intervention in an operation of one or more autonomous driving capabilities of a vehicle is appropriate. Based on the determination, a person is enabled to provide information for an intervention. The intervention is caused in the operation of the one or more autonomous driving capabilities of the vehicle.

Claims (62)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to:

receive an intervention request regarding operation of a vehicle that is remote to the apparatus, the intervention request associated with an object that the vehicle is unable to identify based on sensor data;

receive the sensor data and trajectory data from the vehicle;

determine that the object is blocking a road on which the vehicle is operating based on the sensor data and the trajectory data;

determine a type of the object based on the sensor data;

determine, based on the sensor data, that the object has a height greater than a clearance of the vehicle;

generate, based on the type of the object, the identified height of the object, and the trajectory data, an intervention instructing the vehicle to hit the object to let the vehicle continue driving on the road with the trajectory on which the trajectory data is based; and

transmit, to the vehicle, the intervention to affect the operation of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the intervention request comprises data associated with a status or an environment of the vehicle or a related AV system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , in which the intervention request comprises one or more signals from one or more hardware components or one or more software processes of the vehicle or a related AV system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to present an interactive interface comprising a field of view or a bird's-eye of a vision sensor of the vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to present an interactive interface comprising current or past or both perception information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to present an interactive interface comprising a current or a past or both trajectories.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to present an interactive interface comprising current or past or both motion planning information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to present an interactive interface comprising a system diagram of the vehicle, the system diagram comprising one or more hardware components, or one or more software processes, or both.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor converts an interaction into the intervention for the operation of the vehicle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the interaction comprises:

designating a current location of the vehicle;

treating the current location as prior knowledge;

and

using an inference algorithm to generate an updated current location as the intervention.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the interaction comprises:

designating a goal location;

treating the goal location as prior knowledge; and

using an inference algorithm to generate an updated goal location as the intervention.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the interaction comprises:

designating a trajectory;

treating the trajectory as prior knowledge; and

using an inference algorithm to generate an updated trajectory as the intervention.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the interaction comprises:

designating one or more trajectory sampling points; and

inferring a trajectory or a trajectory segment based on the one or more trajectory sampling points.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , in which inferring a trajectory or a trajectory segment is based on one or more trajectory primitives.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , in which inferring a trajectory comprises concatenating two trajectory segments, the concatenating comprising smoothing the trajectory segments and smoothing speed profiles across the trajectory segments.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the interaction comprises specifying one or more un-traversable road segments.

17. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the interaction comprises:

setting a speed profile;

treating the speed profile as prior knowledge; and

using an inference algorithm to generate an updated speed profile as an intervention.

18. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor infers a speed profile by a learning algorithm and includes the speed profile in an intervention.

19. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor infers a steering angle by a learning algorithm and includes the steering angle in the intervention.

20. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the intervention comprises enabling, editing or disabling a hardware component or a software process.

21. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the intervention comprises overwriting a travel preference or a travel rule.

22. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the intervention comprises editing data, the data comprising one or more of the following: a map, the sensor data in the vehicle or a related AV system, trajectory data in the vehicle or a related AV system, vision data in the vehicle or a related AV system, or any past data in the vehicle or a related AV system.

23. The apparatus of claim 9 , in which the intervention comprises one or more of the following: a trajectory, a label, a process control, an annotation, and a machine instruction.

24. A method comprising:

identifying, by at least one processor of an apparatus, a received intervention request regarding operation of a vehicle that is remote to the apparatus, the intervention request associated with an object that the vehicle is unable to identify based on sensor data;

identifying, by the at least one processor, the sensor data and trajectory data from the vehicle;

determining, by the at least one processor, that the object is blocking a road on which the vehicle is operating based on the sensor data and the trajectory data;

determining, by the at least one processor, a type of the object based on the sensor data;

determining, by the at least one processor based on the sensor data, that the object has a height greater than a clearance of the vehicle;

generating, by the at least one processor based on the type of the object, the identified height of the object, and the trajectory data, an intervention instructing the vehicle to hit the object to let the vehicle continue driving on the road with the trajectory on which the trajectory data is based; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor to the vehicle, the intervention to affect the operation of the vehicle.

25. At least one non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, upon execution of the instructions by at least one processor of an electronic device, are to cause the at least one processor to:

identify a received intervention request regarding operation of a vehicle that is remote to the electronic device, the intervention request associated with an object that the vehicle is unable to identify based on sensor data;

identify the sensor data and trajectory data from the vehicle;

determine that the object is blocking a road on which the vehicle is operating based on the sensor data and the trajectory data;

determine a type of the object based on the sensor data;

determine, based on the sensor data, that the object has a height greater than a clearance of the vehicle;

generate, based on the type of the object, the identified height of the object, and the trajectory data, an intervention instructing the vehicle to hit the object to let the vehicle continue driving on the road with the trajectory on which the trajectory data is based; and

transmit, to the vehicle, the intervention to affect the operation of the vehicle.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 2, 2020
From: MOTIONAL AD INC.
To: MOTIONAL AD LLC
Reel/Frame 053961/0619 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 25, 2020
From: NUTONOMY INC.
To: MOTIONAL AD INC.
Reel/Frame 053892/0220 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 26, 2017
From: LIU, SHIH-YUAN; RAVICHANDRAN, HARSHAVARDHAN; IAGNEMMA, KARL; CHANG, HSUN-HSIEN
To: NUTONOMY INC.
Reel/Frame 043097/0525 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180364702A1 · Dec 20, 2018