US 12,252,157 B2
Responding to emergency vehicles for autonomous vehicles
Aishwarya Parasuram, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Xin Liu, Mountain View, CA (US); Luyuan Lin, Mountain View, CA (US); and Brandon Douglas Luders, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/497,277.
Application 18/497,277 is a continuation of application No. 17/359,861, filed on Jun. 28, 2021, granted, now 11,834,076.
Prior Publication US 2024/0124030 A1, Apr. 18, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01)
CPC B60W 60/0027 (2020.02) [G05D 1/0214 (2013.01); B60W 2510/18 (2013.01); B60W 2552/05 (2020.02); B60W 2552/10 (2020.02); B60W 2552/20 (2020.02); B60W 2554/20 (2020.02); B60W 2554/402 (2020.02); B60W 2554/4041 (2020.02); B60W 2554/4042 (2020.02); B60W 2554/4045 (2020.02)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
determining, by one or more processors of an autonomous vehicle as an emergency vehicle approaches the autonomous vehicle, whether the autonomous vehicle will impede the emergency vehicle approaching the autonomous vehicle based on an available road width, a width of the emergency vehicle, and a buffer distance, wherein the available road width is a distance from a closest edge of a trajectory of the autonomous vehicle, across an opposing lane of traffic to a closest point on an object identified as a vehicle moving below a predetermined speed; and
responsive to determining that the autonomous vehicle will impede the emergency vehicle, controlling, by the one or more processors, the autonomous vehicle in an autonomous driving mode in order to respond to the emergency vehicle.