IP Library Granted Patent US 10,431,023
Granted Patent B1
US 10,431,023 · App. 15/697,044 · Granted Oct 1, 2019

Systems and methods to test an autonomous vehicle

Inventors: Adam Watson (Ford City, PA); Chad David MacIntosh (Pittsburgh, PA); Anthony Bembic (Pittsburgh, PA); Joseph Richard Leja (Coraopolis, PA)
Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
G07C5/0841G05D1/0088G05D2201/0213
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,431,023
App. No.
15/697,044
Granted
Oct 1, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods to test an autonomous vehicle. In particular, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can receive, from one or more test nodes of a preconfigured test track, log data indicating positions of elements of the test track over a period of time. Log data indicating parameters of an autonomous vehicle over the period of time can be received from the autonomous vehicle. The log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the period of time can be compared with the log data indicating the parameters of the autonomous vehicle over the period of time to determine a performance metric of the autonomous vehicle on the test track over the period of time.

Claims (49)

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

comparing log data indicating positions of elements of a test track over a first period of time with log data indicating positions of the elements of the test track over a second period of time;

comparing log data indicating parameters of an autonomous vehicle over the first period of time with log data indicating the parameters of the autonomous vehicle over the second period of time; and

determining an effect of operations of the autonomous vehicle over a period of time between the first period of time and the second period of time, the effect caused by modifying software configured to control operations of the autonomous vehicle, wherein determining the effect comprises determining a difference in a measure of smoothness in transition from a first state to a second state of the autonomous vehicle.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the elements of the test track comprise at least one of a simulated vehicle, a simulated pedestrian, or a simulated cyclist.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the parameters of the autonomous vehicle comprise one or more of a rate of acceleration of the autonomous vehicle, a rate of deceleration of the autonomous vehicle, a speed of the autonomous vehicle, or a heading of the autonomous vehicle.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein determining the effect comprises determining the effect based at least in part on feedback, received from a user device, describing performance of the autonomous vehicle over the first period of time and the second period of time.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein:

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the first period of time indicates a position or status of one or more actuators associated with the elements of the test track over the first period of time; and

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the second period of time indicates a position or status of the one or more actuators associated with the elements of the test track over the second period of time.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein:

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the first period of time comprises data from one or more global positioning system (GPS) receivers attached to the elements; and

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the second period of time comprises data from the one or more GPS receivers attached to the elements.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein:

the first state comprises a state in which the autonomous vehicle is moving; and

the second state comprises a state in which the autonomous vehicle is stationary.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

comparing log data indicating positions of elements of a test track over a first period of time with log data indicating positions of the elements of the test track over a second period of time;

comparing log data indicating parameters of an autonomous vehicle over the first period of time with log data indicating the parameters of the autonomous vehicle over the second period of time; and

determining an effect of operations of the autonomous vehicle over a period of time between the first period of time and the second period of time, the effect caused by modifying software configured to control the operations of the autonomous vehicle, wherein determining the effect of the operations comprises determining the effect of the operations based at least in part on feedback, received from a user device, describing performance of the autonomous vehicle over the first period of time and the second period of time.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the elements of the test track comprise at least one of a simulated vehicle, a simulated pedestrian, or a simulated cyclist.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the parameters of the autonomous vehicle comprise one or more of a rate of acceleration of the autonomous vehicle, a rate of deceleration of the autonomous vehicle, a speed of the autonomous vehicle, or a heading of the autonomous vehicle.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein:

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the first period of time indicates a position or status of one or more actuators associated with the elements of the test track over the first period of time; and

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the second period of time indicates a position or status of the one or more actuators associated with the elements of the test track over the second period of time.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein:

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the first period of time comprises data from one or more global positioning system (GPS) receivers attached to the elements; and

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the second period of time comprises data from the one or more GPS receivers attached to the elements.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein:

the log data indicating the parameters of the autonomous vehicle over the first period of time comprises data from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the autonomous vehicle; and

the log data indicating the parameters of the autonomous vehicle over the second period of time comprises data from the GPS receiver of the autonomous vehicle.

14. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

comparing log data indicating positions of elements of a test track over a first period of time with log data indicating positions of the elements of the test track over a second period of time;

comparing log data indicating parameters of an autonomous vehicle over the first period of time with log data indicating the parameters of the autonomous vehicle over the second period of time; and

determining an effect of operations of the autonomous vehicle over a period of time between the first period of time and the second period of time, the effect caused by modifying software configured to control operations of the autonomous vehicle, wherein determining the effect comprises determining a difference in a measure of smoothness in transition from a first state to a second state of the autonomous vehicle.

15. The computing system of claim 14 , wherein the elements of the test track comprise at least one of a simulated vehicle, a simulated pedestrian, or a simulated cyclist.

16. The computing system of claim 14 , wherein the parameters of the autonomous vehicle comprise one or more of a rate of acceleration of the autonomous vehicle, a rate of deceleration of the autonomous vehicle, a speed of the autonomous vehicle, or a heading of the autonomous vehicle.

17. The computing system of claim 14 , wherein determining the effect comprises determining the effect based at least in part on feedback, received from a user device, describing performance of the autonomous vehicle over the first period of time and the second period of time.

18. The computing system of claim 14 , wherein:

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the first period of time indicates a position or status of one or more actuators associated with the elements of the test track over the first period of time; and

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the second period of time indicates a position or status of the one or more actuators associated with the elements of the test track over the second period of time.

19. The computing system of claim 14 , wherein:

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the first period of time comprises data from one or more global positioning system (GPS) receivers attached to the elements; and

the log data indicating the positions of the elements of the test track over the second period of time comprises data from the one or more GPS receivers attached to the elements.

20. The computing system of claim 14 , wherein:

the log data indicating the parameters of the autonomous vehicle over the first period of time comprises data from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the autonomous vehicle; and

the log data indicating the parameters of the autonomous vehicle over the second period of time comprises data from the GPS receiver of the autonomous vehicle.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2024
From: UATC, LLC
To: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 067733/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 17, 2019
From: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 050750/0152 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 11, 2017
From: WATSON, ADAM; MCINTOSH, CHAD DAVID; BEMBIC, ANTHONY; LEJA, JOSEPH RICHARD
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 043837/0076 →
Cited By (7)
US 12,190,728 US 12,321,258 US 12,322,224 US 12,423,755 US 12,606,182 US 12,614,235 US 12,707,312