Autonomous Vehicle Pickup Location Selection for Safe Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in identifying safe and accessible locations for passenger pickup and drop-off due to road conditions, construction, and safety issues, limiting their operational effectiveness and safety.
Innovation Solution
A centralized dispatching system uses detailed map information to suggest alternative locations within a threshold distance from the user-input location, considering factors for both human and vehicle accessibility, and scores these locations based on difficulty to provide optimal suggestions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle uses the user-input location directly for pickup or drop-off, then the service response time is reduced, but the safety and accessibility of the location cannot be guaranteed due to road conditions, construction, and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the user-input location against detailed map information before confirming it as a valid pickup or drop-off point. It proactively identifies potential safety issues, road conditions, and accessibility problems, and pre-selects alternative locations if the original location is unsuitable, thereby ensuring safety without significant delay to service response time
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary validation layer between the user-input location and the autonomous vehicle dispatch. This intermediary layer uses detailed map information to assess location suitability and mediates by suggesting alternative locations when the original location poses safety or accessibility issues, thus resolving the contradiction between direct service and safety assurance
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system provides a single user-input location, then the operation is simple, but the system cannot account for difficulties in human accessibility or vehicle accessibility to that location
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different assessment criteria to different locations based on their specific characteristics. It evaluates each location's human accessibility (walking paths, proximity to entrances) and vehicle accessibility (road conditions, construction zones, safety issues) using detailed local map information, allowing customized suitability assessment for each location without requiring a completely complex system redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a multi-functional location assessment mechanism that simultaneously evaluates both human accessibility and vehicle accessibility using the same detailed map information infrastructure. This universal approach handles diverse location types (residential, commercial, industrial) and various accessibility challenges through a unified system framework, managing complexity through standardized multi-purpose evaluation
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system identifies multiple predetermined locations within threshold distance, then the choice of suitable locations is improved, but the complexity of selecting the optimal location increases due to scoring based on multiple factors
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the location selection process into distinct evaluation dimensions: human accessibility factors (walking distance, path availability) and vehicle accessibility factors (road conditions, construction zones, safety). Each dimension is scored separately using detailed map information, allowing the complex multi-factor evaluation to be broken down into manageable segments that can be processed systematically
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of location evaluation by using detailed map information to dynamically adjust accessibility parameters for each location. It transforms qualitative accessibility concepts into quantifiable scores based on specific map data (road types, construction zones, sidewalk availability), enabling automated comparison and selection of optimal locations despite the complexity of multiple evaluation factors
Data Source
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AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure provide systems and methods for providing suggested locations for pick up and destination locations. Pick up locations may include locations where an autonomous vehicle (100) can pick up a passenger, while destination locations may include locations where the vehicle can wait for an additional passenger, stop and wait for a passenger to perform some task and return to the vehicle, or for the vehicle to drop off a passenger. As such, a request for a vehicle may be received from a client computing device (120, 130). The request may identify a first location. A set of one or more suggested locations may be selected by comparing the predetermined locations to the first location. The set may be provided to the client computing device.