Autonomous Zone Driving for Rule-Aware On- and Off-Street Missions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in seamlessly transitioning between on-street and off-street zones with different driving rules and regulations.
Innovation Solution
The development of autonomous vehicles equipped with a localization system, obstacle detection system, and an on-board computer that can execute missions using roadgraph information, allowing the vehicle to navigate between on-street rules and off-street zones with specific driving rules and parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If autonomous vehicles follow strict on-street driving rules, then safety and regulatory compliance are improved, but operational flexibility and efficiency in off-street zones deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the operating environment into distinct zones (on-street areas with traffic rules and off-street areas without traffic rules) and applies different driving behaviors in each zone. The mission planner divides the overall mission into segments that specify which zone the vehicle is operating in, allowing appropriate rule application for each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different driving rules and behaviors locally to different spatial zones. On-street zones enforce traffic rules while off-street zones allow free movement. The vehicle's behavior is customized to the local characteristics of each zone it enters, rather than applying a single set of rules globally.
2Adaptability or versatility
If autonomous vehicles transition between zones with different rules, then operational flexibility is improved, but system complexity and difficulty of rule management worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The mission planner acts as an intermediary between the high-level mission objectives and the low-level path execution system. It translates mission goals into zone-aware path segments, managing the complexity of rule transitions by handling zone identification and rule selection centrally, rather than distributing this complexity throughout the entire control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-defining zones and their associated driving rules in the mission plan before execution. The mission planner预先 identifies zone boundaries and prepares appropriate path segments for each zone, so that when the vehicle enters a zone, the correct rules are already in place without requiring real-time decision-making complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If autonomous vehicles use detailed path following, then precision and control are improved, but ability to adapt to zones without lane definitions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The path planning approach is made dynamic by allowing it to switch between two modes: detailed path following for on-street zones with defined lanes, and free-path navigation for off-street zones without lane definitions. The mission planner dynamically selects the appropriate path generation method based on the current zone characteristics, enabling the system to adapt its precision level to the operational context.
Data Source
AI summary
Autonomous vehicles are capable of executing missions that abide by on-street rules or regulations, while also being able to seamlessly transition to and from “zones,” including off-street zones, with their our set(s) of rules or regulations. An on-board memory stores roadgraph information. An on-board computer is operative to execute commanded driving missions using the roadgraph information, including missions with one or more zones, each zone being defined by a sub-roadgraph with its own set of zone-specific driving rules and parameters. A mission may be coordinated with one or more payload operations, including zone with “free drive paths” as in a warehouse facility with loading and unloading zones to pick up payloads and place them down, or zone staging or entry points to one or more points of payload acquisition or placement. The vehicle may be a warehousing vehicle such as a forklift.