Autonomous Vehicle Pickup Routing From Remote Parking Spots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous vehicle systems lack the capability for users to remotely and efficiently direct parked vehicles to different locations, such as from a public parking spot to a pickup or another parking spot, especially across varying environments like parking lots and buildings, without human intervention.
Innovation Solution
A user device application that allows users to summon and direct autonomous vehicles through a graphical interface, using icons and real-time tracking, with wireless communication and navigation systems to guide the vehicle to a chosen destination, while ensuring valid parking spots are selected and obstacles are managed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an autonomous vehicle parks autonomously in a remote parking spot, then the vehicle can be parked safely out of sight, but the user cannot command the vehicle to travel to another parking spot or maintain supervisory control during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a communication system as an intermediary between the user and the autonomous vehicle. This intermediary enables two-way communication: the vehicle sends status information (location, sensor data, camera feeds) to the user, and the user can send commands (move to different parking spot, return to origin) to the vehicle. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining user supervisory control even when the vehicle is out of direct sight, while still allowing autonomous operation for safety.
2Productivity
If the vehicle moves autonomously without user oversight, then operational efficiency is improved, but the user loses the ability to direct the vehicle to specific destinations or change plans
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic control modes that can switch between fully autonomous operation and user-directed operation. The vehicle can operate autonomously for routine tasks like parking, but can be dynamically re-directed by the user to different destinations based on changing needs. The communication system allows real-time updates of destination and route, enabling the vehicle to adapt to new requirements while maintaining operational efficiency through automated navigation and obstacle avoidance.
3Ease of operation
If the system allows remote commanding of the vehicle, then user convenience is improved, but the system complexity increases due to communication and validation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system is designed with multi-functionality to justify its complexity. It serves multiple purposes: transmitting vehicle status information to the user, receiving user commands, providing real-time tracking, validating parking spot selections, and enabling emergency interventions. This universal communication infrastructure supports both autonomous operation and user-directed operations, making the added complexity worthwhile by providing comprehensive remote control capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for directing a parked autonomous vehicle to travel autonomously from a parking spot to a pickup spot. In one example scenario, a user of a user device such as a smartphone, may launch a software application in the smartphone for summoning the autonomous vehicle that is parked in a parking lot or a road, for example. The software application displays a graphical rendering of the parking area together with an icon that can be dragged and dropped by the user at any convenient pickup spot in a valid drivable area shown on the graphical rendering. The user places the icon upon a desired pickup spot and the smartphone transmits a command to the autonomous vehicle to travel to the pickup spot. A real-time representation of a progress of the autonomous vehicle towards the pickup spot may be displayed on the user device.