Autonomous Vehicle Virtual Valet Route Approval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous self-driving vehicles face challenges in performing human operator-free trips without encountering obstacles or safety risks, as they need to navigate through various environments without human intervention, which can lead to accidents or inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a vehicle apparatus and an approval apparatus to identify candidate routes for human operator-free trips, assess obstacles, and modify vehicle operations to ensure safe navigation, including increased sensor data capture and no human override mode, preventing unauthorized control and enhancing security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the autonomous vehicle maneuvers from pick-up/drop-off location to another destination without human operator, then the vehicle can be dropped off exactly at the destination instead of a parking lot, but the vehicle may encounter obstacles or safety risks during the human operator-free trip
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by identifying candidate routes and assessing obstacles before the vehicle departs for the human operator-free trip. The approval apparatus evaluates potential routes in advance and selects safe paths, ensuring that safety considerations are addressed before the autonomous journey begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring the vehicle's autonomous trip and using sensor data to assess whether the vehicle is following the approved route and encountering obstacles. This feedback loop allows the system to detect deviations or hazards and respond appropriately to maintain safety.
2Reliability
If the vehicle operates in zero passenger mode with all sensors active and increased data capture, then safer navigation is achieved, but increased energy consumption and data storage requirements occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by activating all sensors and increasing data capture frequency only during human operator-free trips when the vehicle is in zero passenger mode, rather than continuously. This selective activation ensures enhanced safety monitoring is applied when most needed while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption during occupied trips.
3Reliability
If the system requires approval apparatus review of candidate trips before execution, then safety is improved, but trip execution time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The approval apparatus reviews and approves candidate routes before the vehicle begins its autonomous trip, performing safety assessments in advance. This preliminary approval process ensures that only safe, obstacle-free routes are selected before the vehicle departs, preventing delays during actual travel.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle apparatus onboard a vehicle identifies a human operator-free trip trigger corresponding to a human operator-free trip the vehicle is to take. The vehicle is located at an origin location of the human operator-free trip. Responsive to the vehicle apparatus identifying the human operator-free trip trigger, a candidate destination location for the human operator-free trip is identified. A candidate route from the origin location to the candidate destination location is generated. The vehicle apparatus provides a trip request including the candidate route to an approval apparatus. The vehicle apparatus receives a message from the approval apparatus. Responsive to determining that the message comprises an approval of the candidate route, the vehicle apparatus controls one or more systems of the vehicle to cause the vehicle to traverse the candidate route from the origin location to the candidate destination location.