Autonomous Vehicle Pickup View for Viable Stop Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in understanding and navigating to passengers' desired pick-up or drop-off locations due to the lack of direct human interaction, leading to potential inconvenience or safety issues.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous vehicle uses sensor data and historical data to determine viable pick-up or drop-off locations, and provides a situational-awareness view through an autonomous-vehicle user interface (UI) device, allowing passengers to select their preferred locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous vehicles operate without human drivers, then automation level increases, but communication between passengers and vehicle deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computing device as an intermediary between the passenger and the autonomous vehicle system. This device receives sensor data, determines viable pick-up and drop-off locations, and presents options to the passenger through a user interface, thereby mediating the communication gap created by removing the human driver.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously receiving sensor data from the autonomous vehicle, processing this information to determine viable locations, and presenting these options back to the passenger through the user interface. This closed-loop feedback mechanism replaces the natural feedback loop that previously existed through human driver-passenger interaction.
2Productivity
If the autonomous vehicle automatically determines pick-up and drop-off locations, then operational efficiency increases, but passenger control and satisfaction decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically balances automation and passenger control by automatically determining viable locations based on sensor data and operational constraints, then presenting these pre-filtered options to the passenger for selection. This dynamic approach maintains high operational efficiency while preserving passenger control over the final location choice.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the location determination process into two distinct phases: (1) the computing device automatically identifies and evaluates multiple viable pick-up and drop-off locations based on sensor data and operational constraints, and (2) the passenger selects from these pre-evaluated options through the user interface. This segmentation allows automation to handle complex analysis while the passenger makes the final decision.
3Measurement precision
If multiple potential locations are presented to the passenger, then location accuracy and suitability improve, but interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by determining multiple viable pick-up and drop-off locations but presenting only a selected subset of these options to the passenger through the user interface. This approach maintains high location accuracy by evaluating comprehensive options while managing interface complexity by displaying only the most relevant choices.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes determining a plurality of available locations for a vehicle to pick up or drop off a user in an area based on sensor data that is captured by the vehicle and is associated with physical characteristics of the area. The method includes calculating a viability value for each of the plurality of available locations. The viability value is calculated based on the physical characteristics of the area as determined from the sensor data. The method includes ranking the plurality of available locations according to the viability values of the plurality of available locations. An available location with a higher viability value is ranked above an available location with a lower viability value. The method includes sending instructions to present, on a computing device, one or more selectable locations of the plurality of available locations based on the ranking.