Autonomous Vehicle Route Extension for Smooth Stop Replanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face jerky motion when approaching a target location with unavailable stopping spots, as they need to slow down and then accelerate to find an alternative route, leading to uneven travel and increased processing demands.
Innovation Solution
Implementing route extensions by preemptively generating a new route when the vehicle is within a threshold distance or time of the target location, allowing it to smoothly continue movement even if initial stopping locations are unavailable, by using a vehicle autonomy system that controls steering, braking, and acceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle slows down and accelerates to find alternative routes when stopping spots are unavailable, then the vehicle can locate available stopping locations, but the motion becomes jerky and processing demands increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system preemptively generates route extensions to alternative target locations before the vehicle actually needs to stop. When the vehicle approaches the initial target location and stopping spots are unavailable, the pre-computed route extensions allow the vehicle to smoothly continue movement without jerky deceleration and acceleration cycles, as alternative routes are already prepared and available for immediate execution
2Ease of operation
If the vehicle preemptively generates route extensions before reaching the target location, then motion smoothness is maintained, but route planning complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The route planning is segmented into hierarchical levels: the initial route to the primary target location is planned first, and route extensions to alternative target locations are generated only when needed. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simple route planning for the primary destination while having pre-computed alternatives ready, avoiding the need to plan all possible routes simultaneously and reducing overall system complexity
3Productivity
If the vehicle waits at the target location for stopping spots to become available, then processing demands are reduced, but travel time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of waiting passively for stopping spots to become available, the system performs preliminary actions by generating route extensions to alternative target locations in advance. When the vehicle approaches the initial target and stopping spots are unavailable, these pre-computed alternatives enable immediate route changes without waiting, thereby reducing both processing demands during critical moments and overall travel time
Data Source
AI summary
Various examples are directed to systems and methods for routing an autonomous vehicle. A vehicle autonomy system may generate first route data describing a first route for the autonomous vehicle to a first target location and control the autonomous vehicle using the first route data. The vehicle autonomy system may determine that the autonomous vehicle is within a threshold of the first target location and select a second target location associated with at least a second stopping location. The vehicle autonomy system may generate second route data describing a route extension of the first route from the first target location to the second target location and control the autonomous vehicle using the second route data.