SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING RESTRICTED TRAFFIC ZONES FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING

1 . A method, comprising:

receiving output from a perception system of an autonomous vehicle;

detecting, based on the output from the perception system, one or more objects indicating a presence of a restricted traffic zone; and

determining that the autonomous vehicle is entering the restricted traffic zone based on at least one of a prior map, an obstruction map, and the detected one or more objects.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the prior map comprises a grid map defining a plurality of drivable lanes, and wherein the obstruction map includes a location for each of a plurality of obstructions in the restricted traffic zone.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating a drivable area through the restricted traffic zone based on at least one of the prior map, the obstruction map, and the detected one or more objects.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

determining, based on the drivable area, whether the autonomous vehicle can drive through the restricted traffic zone.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle cannot drive through the restricted traffic zone, causing the autonomous vehicle to perform a minimum risk condition maneuver.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein causing the autonomous vehicle to perform the minimum risk condition comprises determining, based on the drivable area, whether the autonomous vehicle should stop in a current lane, stop in an emergency lane, or stop on a different portion of the drivable area.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

connecting the detected one or more objects to form a curve,

wherein the generating the drivable area comprises using the curve as a boundary between the drivable area and a non-drivable area.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

generating a lane map based on the drivable area, the lane map indicating one or more lanes in the drivable area that can be used to perform the minimal risk condition maneuver or used to drive the autonomous vehicle through the traffic restriction zone.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining that the curve is parallel with a lane from the prior map and is within a predetermined distance of a boundary of the lane; and

determining that the lane is closed based on determining that the curve is parallel with the lane and is within the predetermined distance of the boundary of the lane,

wherein the lane map indicates that the lane is closed in response to determining that the lane is closed.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining that the curve makes an angle with a lane from the prior map that is greater than a predetermined angle; and

determining that the lane is gradually closed based on determining that the curve makes the angle with the lane that is greater than the predetermined angle,

wherein the lane map indicates that the lane is gradually closed in response to determining that the lane is gradually closed.

11 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

validating whether the lane map meets one or more validation requirements for updating the prior map; and

providing the lane map to a prior map updating device in response to determining that the lane map meets the one or more validation requirements.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more validation requirements comprise one or more of the following between the lane map and the prior map: a continuity requirement, a connectiveness requirement, and a smoothness requirement.

13 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining that the autonomous vehicle can drive through the drivable area; and

navigating the autonomous vehicle through the drivable area based on the lane map.

14 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

determining that a minimum width of the drivable area is less than a predetermined width; and

in response to determining that the minimum width is less than the predetermined width, determining that the autonomous vehicle should perform the minimum risk condition maneuver.

15 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

receiving requirements for the autonomous vehicle to drive through the drivable area from a planning module of the autonomous vehicle; and

determining whether the autonomous vehicle can drive through the drivable area or should perform a minimal risk condition maneuver based on the requirements.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the requirements include one or more of the following: current traffic conditions, a current speed of the autonomous vehicle, and a current perception range of the perception system.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the detected one or more objects comprise one or more of the following: a cone, a roadblock, a barricade, a barrier, a barrel, an emergency light, an emergency sign, an emergency vehicle, a vehicle, a pedestrian, a first responder, and a construction zone sign.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the restricted traffic zone comprises one or more of the following: an emergency zone, a construction zone, a scene of an accident, a work zone, and a traffic control zone.

19 . An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive output from a perception system of an autonomous vehicle;

detect presence of one or more emergency zone warning devices based on the output from the perception system;

receive a prior map indicative of an environment in which the autonomous vehicle can drive; and

determine that the autonomous vehicle is entering an emergency zone based on the detected presence of the one or more emergency zone warning devices and the prior map.

20 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer program instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive output from a perception system of an autonomous vehicle;

detect presence of one or more emergency zone warning devices based on the output from the perception system;

receive a prior map indicative of an environment in which the autonomous vehicle can drive; and

determine that the autonomous vehicle is entering an emergency zone based on the detected presence of the one or more emergency zone warning devices and the prior map.