Autonomous Vehicle Zone Driving for Rule-Switching Navigation
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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, as existing systems struggle to adapt and navigate zones with unique driving conventions while ensuring safety and obstacle avoidance.
Innovation Solution
The development of a driverless vehicle system that includes a frame with a powertrain, steering, and braking systems, equipped with an on-board memory for roadgraph information, a localization system, and an obstacle detection system, allowing the vehicle to execute missions by switching between on-street and off-street zones with specific driving rules and parameters, using GPS, visual sensing, and barcode markers for localization, and embedding roadgraphs within zones to inherit their driving rules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If autonomous vehicles use a single set of driving rules for all areas, then the system is simple to implement, but the vehicle cannot adapt to zones with different driving conventions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the operating environment into distinct segments: the roadgraph (public roads with standard rules) and zones (off-street areas with alternative rules). Each segment has its own rule set, allowing the vehicle to adapt to different driving conventions without requiring a completely new system for each area type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different rule sets based on the vehicle's current location. The autonomous vehicle can transition from following roadgraph rules to following zone-specific rules and back again, making the system adaptable rather than static.
2Productivity
If the vehicle follows strict roadgraph rules at all times, then safety is maintained on public roads, but the vehicle cannot efficiently navigate off-street zones with alternative conventions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its rule-following behavior based on location. On public roads (roadgraph), the vehicle strictly follows standard traffic rules to ensure safety. When entering off-street zones, it switches to zone-specific rules that may allow more flexible navigation, improving productivity without compromising safety in either environment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different rule sets are applied to different spatial locations. The roadgraph area enforces standard safety rules, while zone areas allow alternative conventions. This local differentiation allows the vehicle to be safety-compliant where needed and efficient where appropriate.
3Ease of operation
If the vehicle transitions smoothly between different rule sets, then operational continuity is maintained, but the complexity of managing multiple rule sets increases
Solution Approach 1:
By clearly segmenting the environment into roadgraph and zone areas with distinct boundaries, the system simplifies rule management. The vehicle knows which rule set to apply based on its location segment, making transitions straightforward rather than requiring complex real-time rule arbitration.
Solution Approach 2:
The zone acts as an intermediary concept that bridges the roadgraph and the vehicle's navigation system. Zones provide a structured way to define alternative rule areas, making it easier to manage transitions between different driving conventions without directly complexifying the core navigation logic.
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.