IP Library Granted Patent US 11,287,817
Granted Patent B1
US 11,287,817 · App. 16/441,699 · Granted Mar 29, 2022

System and method of providing recommendations to users of vehicles

Inventors: Christopher Paul Urmson (Mountain View, CA); Dmitri A. Dolgov (Los Altos, CA); Andrew Hughes Chatham (San Francisco, CA); Philip Nemec (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Waymo LLC
G05D1/0088G01C21/3617G05D1/0276B62D6/00
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,287,817
App. No.
16/441,699
Granted
Mar 29, 2022
Kind
B1
Abstract

A system and method are arranged to provide recommendations to a user of a vehicle. In one aspect, the vehicle navigates in an autonomous mode and the sensors provide information that is based on the location of the vehicle and output from sensors directed to the environment surrounding the vehicle. In further aspects, both current and previous sensor data is used to make the recommendations, as well as data based on the sensors of other vehicles.

Claims (26)

1. A system for controlling a first vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the system comprising one or more processors configured to:

receive information including data generated by a sensor affixed to a second vehicle that senses an aspect of the environment surrounding the second vehicle;

determine whether the received information can be trusted; and

based on the determination of whether the received data can be trusted, control the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode using the received information.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the received data can be trusted based on whether a vendor associated with the second vehicle is known.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the received data can be trusted based on whether the received data has been cryptographically signed.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the received data can be trusted based on whether the one or more processors can verify the cryptographic signature.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the received data can be trusted based on whether the received data is associated with an indicia that implies that a source of the received data cannot be trusted.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the received data can be trusted based on whether the received data is associated with an indicia that implies that a source of the received data is counterfeit.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, when the one or more processors determine that the received data cannot be trusted, use the received data to add weight to a factor used to control the first vehicle that is consistent with sensor data generated by a sensor of the first vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a level of trust for the received sensor data and to control the first vehicle further based on the determined level of trust, and wherein the determined level of trust is one of a plurality of possible levels of trust.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of possible levels of trust is associated with a set of one or more maneuvers, a first level of the plurality of possible levels of trust is associated with a first set of one or more maneuvers, a second level of the plurality of levels of trust is associated with a second set of one or more maneuvers, and the first set being different from the second set.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the first vehicle based on the determined level of trust by identifying the set of one or more maneuvers the vehicle based on the determined level of trust.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first set of one or more maneuvers includes slowing the first vehicle down and the second set of one or more maneuvers includes slowing the first vehicle down and changing lanes.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode using the received information includes taking a route to a destination that is an alternative to a route that the first vehicle is currently following.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode using the received information by taking an evasive action to avoid an object.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode using the received information by slowing down for a traffic jam detected by the first vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data identifies an object in the environment.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data includes sensor data that was previously accumulated by the second vehicle.

18. A method for controlling a first vehicle in an autonomous driving mode, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, information including data generated by a sensor affixed to a second vehicle that senses an aspect of the environment surrounding the second vehicle;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether the received information can be trusted; and

based on the determination of whether the received data can be trusted, controlling, by the one or more processors, the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode using the received information.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the sensor data identifies an object in the environment.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the sensor data includes sensor data that was previously accumulated by the second vehicle.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: URMSON, CHRISTOPHER PAUL; DOLGOV, DMITRI A.; CHATHAM, ANDREW; NEMEC, PHILIP
To: GOOGLE INC.
Reel/Frame 049666/0168 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: GOOGLE INC.
To: WAYMO HOLDING INC.
Reel/Frame 049678/0269 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 3, 2019
From: WAYMO HOLDING INC.
To: WAYMO LLC
Reel/Frame 049678/0333 →