Vehicle Routing Flags for Capability-Based Route Omission
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in navigating routes that exceed their capabilities, such as steep hills or sharp turns, due to limitations in existing routing map systems, which are often addressed reactively and apply universally across all vehicles without customization.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses router flags to proactively identify and omit problematic routes from the routable graph based on the autonomous vehicle's limitations, allowing for customization by vehicle type and capabilities, ensuring safe navigation by dynamically updating the routing map.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If blacklists are used to remove problematic lanes from the routable graph, then the autonomous vehicle can avoid routes beyond its capabilities, but the system cannot be customized to different vehicle types and capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating vehicle-specific router flags that tailor the routing constraints to each autonomous vehicle's unique capabilities and limitations. Instead of a universal blacklist, each vehicle type receives customized routing restrictions based on its specific operational parameters, allowing the system to adapt to different vehicle characteristics while maintaining safety.
2Reliability
If blacklists are used to prevent lanes from appearing in the routable graph, then problematic routes are avoided, but the process is completely reactive requiring the vehicle to fail first
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by proactively generating router flags based on known vehicle capabilities and limitations before the autonomous vehicle encounters problematic routes. The system pre-identifies and flags routes that would exceed vehicle capabilities, eliminating the need for reactive blacklisting after failures occur and reducing the time needed to identify and correct routing issues.
3Device complexity
If a universal routing map is used for all autonomous vehicles, then the system is simple to maintain, but it cannot account for vehicle-specific limitations like narrow lanes or steep hills
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the universal routing map into vehicle-specific routing configurations through the use of router flags. Each vehicle type receives a segmented view of the routing map that highlights only the routes appropriate for its capabilities, maintaining the simplicity of a single source map while enabling customization through flag-based filtering.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods provide for routing autonomous vehicles by simulating an autonomous vehicle traversing a route on a map representing a physical area. A router flag can be generated at a specific location on the map. A router flag rule that defines a factor that caused a failure of the autonomous vehicle can then be created at the location, and the autonomous vehicle can be simulated traversing the to identify at least one other area on the map where the autonomous vehicle is likely to fail. An identifier can be applied to the other area on the map where the autonomous vehicle is likely to fail according to the router flag rule. The other area with the applied identifier can be omitted from a routable graph applied to the routing map, such that the route for the autonomous vehicle is generated in accordance with the routable graph.