Systems and methods for implementing an autonomous vehicle response to sensor failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face operational impediments due to sensor failures, which can arise from manufacturing defects, end of operational life, tampering, or physical damage, leading to reduced reliability and safety.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that assesses the confidence level of sensor information and adjusts the vehicle's driving capability by weighting sensors based on importance, activating backup sensors, and executing emergency maneuvers to navigate to a safe location when the confidence level of a subset of sensors falls below a threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the autonomous vehicle relies on information from multiple sensors to make driving decisions, then the measurement precision and reliability of environmental perception is improved, but the system becomes more vulnerable to sensor failures and operational impediments
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary confidence level assessment of sensor information before making driving decisions. By evaluating the confidence level of each sensor's data and comparing it against thresholds, the system proactively identifies potential sensor failures and adjusts its decision-making process accordingly, preventing unreliable data from compromising vehicle operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes operational parameters by adjusting driving capabilities based on sensor confidence levels. When confidence levels fall below thresholds, the system modifies driving behavior (such as reducing speed, avoiding certain maneuvers, or requesting human intervention), thereby adapting the vehicle's operation to the current sensor reliability state
2Reliability
If the vehicle adjusts driving capability by excluding failed sensors from decision-making, then the system maintains operational safety, but the adaptability and driving performance deteriorates due to reduced sensor input
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts driving capabilities based on the number and importance of failed sensors. Rather than using a static approach, the system continuously evaluates sensor confidence levels and modifies driving permissions in real-time, allowing the vehicle to operate with reduced capabilities when sensors fail while maintaining safety thresholds
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different weighting to sensors based on their importance to specific driving functions. Not all sensors are treated equally - critical sensors have higher weights and their failure has more significant impact on driving capability adjustments. This allows the system to maintain adaptability in non-critical functions while ensuring safety in critical operations
Data Source
AI summary
Among other things, we describe techniques for implementing a vehicle response to sensor failure. In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include receiving information from a plurality of sensors coupled to a vehicle, determining that a level of confidence of the received information from at least one sensor of a first subset of sensors of the plurality of sensors is less than a first threshold, comparing a number of sensors in the first subset of sensors to a second threshold, and adjusting the driving capability of the vehicle to rely on information received from a second subset of sensors of the plurality of sensors, wherein the second subset of sensors excludes the at least one sensor of the first subset of sensors.