Vehicle Path Planning Around Blocking Objects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional autonomous vehicle planning systems prioritize safety over progress, often causing vehicles to stop unnecessarily when encountering blocking objects, which can lead to secondary collisions and impede traffic flow without enhancing operational safety.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle computing system dynamically determines whether to wait for an object to move or modify its trajectory based on the likelihood of continued blocking, using sensor data and machine learning to optimize safety, comfort, and progress by selecting the action with the lowest associated cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle stops to wait for the blocking object to move out of the path, then operational safety is improved, but vehicle progress is impeded and secondary collisions may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The planning system dynamically adjusts the vehicle's action based on real-time assessment of blocking object behavior. Instead of always stopping, the system evaluates whether the object is likely to move and selects between waiting or navigating around, making the response adaptive rather than static.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the decision parameter from a binary stop/go choice to a probabilistic assessment of object movement likelihood. By incorporating probability thresholds, the system can transition between conservative waiting behavior and proactive navigation around the object based on assessed risk levels.
2Productivity
If the vehicle navigates around the blocking object, then vehicle progress is maintained, but operational safety may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of the blocking object's movement patterns and likelihood to move before deciding to navigate around it. This advance evaluation ensures that navigation actions are only taken when safety conditions are met, preventing premature or unsafe maneuvers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the blocking object's behavior and updates the movement likelihood assessment in real-time. This feedback loop allows the system to confirm safety conditions before executing navigation around the object, ensuring that progress actions are based on current environmental information.
3Reliability
If the vehicle remains stopped until the pedestrian moves completely out of the path, then collision avoidance is ensured, but traffic flow is impeded
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring the pedestrian to move completely out of the path before the vehicle proceeds, the system allows navigation when the pedestrian has moved sufficiently out of the way based on probability thresholds. This partial action approach maintains adequate safety margins while avoiding excessive waiting time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines the acceptable waiting duration based on real-time assessment of pedestrian movement patterns. Rather than using a fixed waiting time or requiring complete path clearance, the system adapts the stopping duration to the actual behavior and likelihood of pedestrian movement.
Data Source
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AI summary
A vehicle computing system may implement techniques to determine an action for a vehicle to take based on a detected object blocking a path (e.g., trajectory) of the vehicle. The vehicle computing system may detect the object based on sensor data and determine that a location associated with the object is at least partially within a drivable surface over which the vehicle plans to travel on a trajectory. The vehicle computing system may determine a likelihood that object will continue to block the path of the vehicle. Based in part on the likelihood that the object will continue to block the path, the vehicle computing system may determine to maintain a stopped position prior to the location to wait for the object to move or to modify the trajectory of the vehicle to circumnavigate the object.