Systems and methods for obstacle avoidance and path planning in autonomous vehicles
Systems and method are provided for controlling a vehicle. A path planning method for a vehicle includes establishing a first path for a first vehicle, then receiving, at the first vehicle, sensor data associated with a behavior of one or more leading vehicles observed in the vicinity of the first vehicle. The method further includes establishing a modified path that diverges from the first path based on the sensor data, then classifying, with a processor, an obstacle observed by the first vehicle as it travels along the modified path.
1. A path planning method for a vehicle, the method comprising:
establishing a first path for a first vehicle;
receiving, at the first vehicle, sensor data associated with a path of one or more leading vehicles observed in the vicinity of the first vehicle;
establishing a modified path that diverges from the first path a and that follows a path of the one or more leading vehicles;
detecting, at the first vehicle, an obstacle in a vicinity to the first path while the first vehicle is traveling along the modified path; and
classifying, with a processor, the obstacle observed by the first vehicle along the modified path.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obstacle is classified as one of a transient obstacle and an embedded obstacle.
3. The method of claim 1 , further including documenting a plurality of characteristics of the observed obstacle and transmitting the characteristics to a remote database via a network.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of characteristics includes a severity measure associated with the observed obstacle.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of characteristics includes an estimate of the likely duration of the observed obstacle's presence.
6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of characteristics includes an indication of lane placement of the observed obstacle.
7. The method of claim 3 , further including modifying a map database based on the plurality of characteristics stored in the remote database.
8. An autonomous vehicle comprising:
one or more sensors configured to produce sensor data associated one or more leading vehicles located in the vicinity of the autonomous vehicle;
a leading vehicle observation module configured to, by a processor, receive the sensor data and establish a modified path that diverges from an initially established path and that follows a path of the one or more leading vehicles;
an obstacle classification module, including a processor, configured to detect an obstacle in a vicinity to the first path while the first vehicle is traveling along the modified path; and classify the obstacle observed by the autonomous vehicle along the modified path.
9. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the obstacle classification module classifies the obstacle as one of a transient obstacle and an embedded obstacle.
10. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 , further including documenting a plurality of characteristics of the observed obstacle and transmitting the characteristics to a remote database via a network.
11. The autonomous vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of characteristics includes a severity measure associated with the observed obstacle.
12. The autonomous vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of characteristics includes an estimate of the likely duration of the observed obstacle's presence.
13. The autonomous vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of characteristics includes an indication of lane placement of the observed obstacle.
14. The autonomous vehicle of claim 8 , further including modifying a map database based on the plurality of characteristics stored in the remote database.
15. A system for controlling a vehicle, comprising:
one or more sensors configured to produce sensor data associated one or more leading vehicles located in the vicinity of the autonomous vehicle;
a leading vehicle observation module, including a processor, configured to receive the sensor data and establish a modified path that diverges from an initially established path and that follows a path of the one or more leading vehicles; and
an obstacle classification module configured to detect an obstacle in a vicinity to the first path while the first vehicle is traveling along the modified path; and classify the obstacle observed by the autonomous vehicle along the modified path.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the obstacle classification module classifies the obstacle as one of a transient obstacle and an embedded obstacle.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the obstacle classification module is further configured to document a plurality of characteristics of the observed obstacle and transmit the characteristics to a remote database via a network.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of characteristics includes a severity measure associated with the observed obstacle.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the severity measure is determined via an inertial measurement unit provided within the vehicle.
20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of characteristics includes an estimate of the likely duration of the observed obstacle's presence.