Method, system and apparatus for self-driving vehicle obstacle avoidance
Systems and methods for obstacle avoidance with a self-driving vehicle are provided. The system comprises a processor connected to the self-driving vehicle and a sensor in communication with the processor. The sensor is configured to detect objects. The processor is configured to receive a measurement of the self-driving vehicle's speed, and define a sensor region based on the speed. The processor can determine that an object detected by the sensor is within the sensor region, and then initiate a fail-safe routine. The sensor region may be defined based on a range parameter. The sensor region may be defined based on the stopping distance of the vehicle. The sensor region may be redefined when the vehicle's speed changes.
1. A method for obstacle avoidance with a self-driving vehicle within a facility comprising:
autonomously driving the self-driving vehicle;
using a sensor of the self-driving vehicle to obtain a measurement of a speed of the self-driving vehicle;
receiving the measurement of the speed with a processor of the self-driving vehicle;
using the processor to define a first and a second sensor region based on the speed of the self-driving vehicle, wherein the second sensor region has a range greater than a range of the first sensor region; and
during operation of the self-driving vehicle, detecting whether an object is within the second sensor region and in response to detecting the object is within the second sensor region,
adjusting the operation of the self-driving vehicle to reduce a risk of colliding with the object while determining an avoidance response for avoiding the object, wherein determining the avoidance response for avoiding the object comprises generating a new path for the self-driving vehicle and autonomously driving the self-driving vehicle according to the new path; and
in response to detecting the object is within the first sensor region, triggering an emergency stop at the self-driving vehicle to avoid collision with the object.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensor regions are defined relative to the sensor.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensor regions are defined relative to a second sensor, the method further comprising:
using the second sensor of the vehicle to detect an object.
4. A system for self-driving vehicle obstacle avoidance within a facility , the comprising:
a processor connected to the self-driving vehicle;
a sensor in communication with the processor, the sensor configured to detect an object;
the processor configured to: receive a measurement of a speed of the self-driving vehicle;
define a first and a second sensor region based on the speed of the self-driving vehicle, wherein the second sensor region has a ranger greater than a range of the first sensor region; and
during operation of the self-driving vehicle, detect whether the object is within the second sensor region and in response to detecting the object is within the second sensor region,
adjust the operation of the self-driving vehicle to reduce a risk of colliding with the object while determining an avoidance response for avoiding the object, wherein determining the avoidance response for avoiding the object comprises generating a new path for the self-driving vehicle and autonomously driving the self-driving vehicle according to the new path; and
in response to detecting the object is within the first sensor region, trigger an emergency stop at the self-driving vehicle to avoid collision with the object.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the processor is configured to define the first and second sensor regions based on a range parameter determined based on the speed.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the measurement of the speed of the self-driving vehicle is a measurement of a first speed;
the processor further configured to:
receive a measurement of a second speed of the self-driving vehicle;
adjust the range parameter based on the measurement of the second speed; and
redefine the first and second sensor regions based on the adjusted range parameter.
7. The system of claim 4 , wherein
a sensor in communication with the processor, the sensor configured to detect an the processor is configured to: determine a stopping distance of the vehicle based on the speed of the self-driving vehicle; and define the first and second sensor regions based on the stopping distance.
8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the measurement of the speed is based on a second sensor.
9. The system of claim 4 , wherein the measurement of the speed is based on the sensor.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the sensor is a machine vision sensor.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the machine vision sensor is a LIDAR sensor.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the machine vision sensor comprises one or more cameras.