IP Library Granted Patent US 12,065,156
Granted Patent B2
US 12,065,156 · App. 17/706,749 · Granted Aug 20, 2024

Failover system for autonomous vehicles

Inventors: Volkmar Uhlig (Cupertino, CA); John Hayes (Mountain View, CA); Aaron Carroll (Mountain View, CA)
Assignee: GHOST AUTONOMY INC.
B60W50/029B60W50/0205B60W50/14B60W60/0053B60W2050/0292
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,065,156
App. No.
17/706,749
Granted
Aug 20, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A failover system for autonomous vehicles, including: detecting an error associated with a hardware resource of a first autonomous driving system of the autonomous vehicle; performing a failover from the first autonomous driving system to a second autonomous driving system comprising fewer hardware resources relative to the first autonomous driving system, wherein performing the failover causes control operations generated by the second autonomous driving system to be applied to the autonomous vehicle instead of control operations generated by the first autonomous driving system; and reconfigure one or more other hardware resources of the first autonomous driving system not associated with the error into a redundant autonomous driving system.

Claims (33)

1. A method for a failover system for autonomous vehicles, comprising:

detecting an error associated with a hardware resource of a first autonomous driving system of the autonomous vehicle;

performing a failover from the first autonomous driving system to a second autonomous driving system comprising fewer hardware resources relative to the first autonomous driving system, wherein performing the failover causes control operations generated by the second autonomous driving system to be applied to the autonomous vehicle instead of control operations generated by the first autonomous driving system; and

reconfigure one or more other hardware resources of the first autonomous driving system not associated with the error into a redundant autonomous driving system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein an allocation of hardware resources of the redundant autonomous driving system corresponds to an allocation of hardware resources of the second autonomous driving system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second autonomous driving system comprises at least one of: fewer processing resources relative to the first autonomous driving system or fewer sensors relative to the first autonomous driving system.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating an alert indicating that an operator of the autonomous vehicle should assume control.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first autonomous driving system is configured to generate control operations based on one or more first models, the second autonomous driving system is configured to generate control operations based on one or more second models, and the method further comprises configuring the redundant autonomous driving system to generate control operations based on the one or more second models.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the one or more second models are trained to generate fewer control operations than the one or more first models.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting an error associated with a hardware resource of the second autonomous driving system of the autonomous vehicle; and

performing a failover from the second autonomous driving system to the redundant autonomous driving system.

8. An apparatus for a failover system for autonomous vehicles, the apparatus configured to perform steps comprising:

detecting an error associated with a hardware resource of a first autonomous driving system of the autonomous vehicle;

performing a failover from the first autonomous driving system to a second autonomous driving system comprising fewer hardware resources relative to the first autonomous driving system, wherein performing the failover causes control operations generated by the second autonomous driving system to be applied to the autonomous vehicle instead of control operations generated by the first autonomous driving system; and

reconfigure one or more other hardware resources of the first autonomous driving system not associated with the error into a redundant autonomous driving system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein an allocation of hardware resources of the redundant autonomous driving system corresponds to an allocation of hardware resources of the second autonomous driving system.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second autonomous driving system comprises at least one of: fewer processing resources relative to the first autonomous driving system or fewer sensors relative to the first autonomous driving system.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the steps further comprise generating an alert indicating that an operator of the autonomous vehicle should assume control.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first autonomous driving system is configured to generate control operations based on one or more first models, the second autonomous driving system is configured to generate control operations based on one or more second models, and the steps further comprise configuring the redundant autonomous driving system to generate control operations based on the one or more second models.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the one or more second models are trained to generate fewer control operations than the one or more first models.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the steps further comprise:

detecting an error associated with a hardware resource of the second autonomous driving system of the autonomous vehicle; and

performing a failover from the second autonomous driving system to the redundant autonomous driving system.

15. A computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions for a failover system for autonomous vehicles that, when executed, cause a computer system of the autonomous vehicle to carry out steps comprising:

detecting an error associated with a hardware resource of a first autonomous driving system of the autonomous vehicle;

performing a failover from the first autonomous driving system to a second autonomous driving system comprising fewer hardware resources relative to the first autonomous driving system, wherein performing the failover causes control operations generated by the second autonomous driving system to be applied to the autonomous vehicle instead of control operations generated by the first autonomous driving system; and

reconfigure one or more other hardware resources of the first autonomous driving system not associated with the error into a redundant autonomous driving system.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein an allocation of hardware resources of the redundant autonomous driving system corresponds to an allocation of hardware resources of the second autonomous driving system.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the second autonomous driving system comprises at least one of: fewer processing resources relative to the first autonomous driving system or fewer sensors relative to the first autonomous driving system.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the steps further comprise generating an alert indicating that an operator of the autonomous vehicle should assume control.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the first autonomous driving system is configured to generate control operations based on one or more first models, the second autonomous driving system is configured to generate control operations based on one or more second models, and the steps further comprise configuring the redundant autonomous driving system to generate control operations based on the one or more second models.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein the one or more second models are trained to generate fewer control operations than the one or more first models.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2024
From: GHOST AUTONOMY, INC.
To: APPLIED INTUITION, INC.
Reel/Frame 068982/0647 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 8, 2022
From: GHOST LOCOMOTION INC.
To: GHOST AUTONOMY INC.
Reel/Frame 061118/0665 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 29, 2022
From: UHLIG, VOLKMAR; HAYES, JOHN; CARROLL, AARON
To: GHOST LOCOMOTION INC.
Reel/Frame 059421/0358 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63192369 · May 24, 2021
Related Publication 20220371607A1 · Nov 24, 2022