Autonomous Vehicle Route Extension for Smooth Alternative Stopping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face jerky motion when approaching a target location with unavailable stopping spots, as they must 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 initial target location, allowing the vehicle to smoothly continue moving if initial stopping locations are unavailable, thereby reducing processing demands and maintaining smooth motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle slows down and accelerates to find alternative stopping locations, then the vehicle can locate available stopping spots, but the motion becomes jerky and uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates a route extension to an extended target location before the vehicle actually needs to stop, when the initial target location's stopping spots are found to be unavailable. This preliminary route preparation allows the vehicle to maintain smooth motion while the navigation system has already identified an alternative path with available stopping locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The routing problem is segmented into two parts: the initial route to the initial target location, and a generated route extension to an extended target location. This segmentation allows the system to maintain the original route for smooth navigation while having a pre-prepared alternative segment ready when stopping location availability changes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the autonomous vehicle generates alternative routes in real-time when stopping spots are unavailable, then the vehicle can adapt to changing conditions, but processing demands increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary route extension generation based on predictive criteria (distance threshold, time threshold, or stopping location availability) rather than waiting for real-time failures. This advance preparation reduces the computational burden during critical navigation moments by having alternative routes pre-calculated.
Solution Approach 2:
The navigation system serves itself by automatically detecting when stopping locations are unavailable and autonomously generating route extensions without requiring external intervention or complex real-time reprocessing, thereby reducing overall system processing demands.
3Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle waits at the initial target location for stopping spots to become available, then the vehicle can stop at the original destination, but travel time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively generates a route extension to an extended target location with available stopping spots before the vehicle reaches the initial target location, eliminating the need to wait and reducing total travel time while still achieving the ultimate destination goal.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of waiting at the initial target location for stopping spots to become available, the system inverts the approach by proactively finding and preparing an alternative extended target location with available stopping spots, thereby avoiding time loss through waiting.
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.