Autonomous Vehicle Command Delay Determination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional motion planning and control systems for autonomous vehicles do not accurately account for differences in vehicle types, leading to potential inaccuracies and inefficiencies in navigation and speed control, particularly in determining command delays between issuing commands and vehicle responses.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method to determine command delays for autonomous vehicles by calculating the percentage of conforming responses to driving commands based on captured driving statistics, selecting the highest percentage candidate as the command delay, and using this information for subsequent operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If same motion planning and control is applied to all types of vehicles, then the system complexity is reduced, but the accuracy and smoothness of navigation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem complexityVSAvoidnavigation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by determining command delay parameters specific to each vehicle type rather than using a universal parameter for all vehicles. The system categorizes vehicles into different types (e.g., heavy-duty vs. light-duty) and assigns tailored command delay values to each category, ensuring that each vehicle type receives customized control parameters optimized for its specific characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If command delay parameters are determined based on vehicle type, then the accuracy of speed control is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespeed control accuracyVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements parameter changes by adjusting command delay parameters based on vehicle type characteristics. The system modifies the command delay parameter (a key control parameter) according to the specific vehicle type, allowing the motion planning and control system to adapt its behavior to match the dynamic characteristics of different vehicles without requiring complete system redesign.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If conventional motion planning estimates path difficulty only from curvature and speed, then the calculation simplicity is maintained, but the planning accuracy for different vehicle types deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecalculation simplicityVSAvoidplanning accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-determining command delay parameters for different vehicle types before actual motion execution. The system performs preliminary characterization of vehicle types and establishes appropriate command delay values in advance, so that during actual operation, the planning system can directly apply these pre-determined parameters without complex real-time calculations, thereby maintaining calculation simplicity while improving accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3327530B1Method for determining command delays of autonomous vehicles
Publication Date: 2019.11.06 BAIDU USA LLC
  • EP3327530B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3327530B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3327530B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In one embodiment, driving statistics of an autonomous vehicle are collected. The driving statistics include driving commands, speeds, and changes of speeds in response to the driving commands at different points in time represented by one or more command cycles. Command delay candidates for the autonomous vehicle are determined, each of the command delay candidates represented by one or more command cycles. For each of the command delay candidates, a percentage is calculated for driving commands that resulted in a response of the autonomous vehicle conforming to the driving commands associated with the command delay candidate. One of the command delay candidates having the highest percentage of conformity is selected as the command delay for the autonomous vehicle. The command delay is utilized to plan and control subsequent operations of the autonomous vehicle.