Autonomous Vehicle Route Segmentation for HD Map Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Navigation systems for autonomous vehicles rely heavily on high-definition map data, which may not be available for entire routes, limiting their ability to identify optimal paths and requiring dependency on combinations of driving modes to ensure end-to-end navigation.
Innovation Solution
The system partitions routes into segments and assigns corresponding drive modes, allowing navigation without exclusive reliance on HD map data by using autonomous, manual, tele-operator assisted, and stored-path modes, optimizing routes based on available data and constraints such as traffic information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If navigation systems rely on high-definition map data for route generation, then route accuracy and reliability are improved, but the system becomes inapplicable when HD map data is unavailable for certain route segments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the navigation system into multiple operational segments or modes (autonomous mode, manual mode, tele-operator assisted mode, stored-path mode) that can be selectively applied to different route segments. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high reliability where HD maps are available while adapting to alternative modes where they are not, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different drive modes based on the availability of HD map data and other operational conditions. The navigation system is not static in its approach but adapts its operational mode in real-time, transitioning between autonomous, manual, tele-operator assisted, and stored-path modes as needed, thereby maintaining reliability across varying conditions while expanding route coverage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system uses multiple drive modes to ensure end-to-end navigation, then route coverage is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal control architecture that can execute multiple drive modes (autonomous, manual, tele-operator assisted, stored-path) within a single integrated system. This multi-functional design allows the same hardware and software platform to perform diverse navigation tasks, expanding route coverage without proportionally increasing system complexity through separate dedicated systems for each mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a central control module or intermediary component that coordinates between different drive modes and manages transitions. This intermediary layer simplifies the overall system architecture by providing a unified interface and control logic that manages the complexity of multiple modes, allowing seamless switching while maintaining manageable system complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system partitions routes into segments with different drive modes, then navigation flexibility is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring optimal transition points increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback mechanisms to continuously monitor HD map data availability, vehicle operational status, and route progress. This feedback loop enables the system to automatically identify optimal transition points between different drive modes by evaluating real-time conditions, thereby improving navigation flexibility while reducing the difficulty of detecting transition points through automated decision-making based on sensor data and system state.
Data Source
AI summary
Navigating a vehicle from an origin location to a destination location includes receiving, from a requester, the origin location and the destination location; determining a transition point between the origin location and the destination location that partitions a portion of a route between the origin location to the destination location into a first route segment and a second route segment; and providing the transition point, the first route segment, and the second route segment to the requester. The vehicle is to be driven according to a first drive mode in the first route segment that ends at the transition point and according to a second drive mode in the second route segment that starts at the transition point.