US 11,999,372 B2
Operation of an autonomous vehicle based on availability of navigational information
Jong Ho Lee, Pittsburgh, PA (US); Rahul Ahluwalia, Carnegie, PA (US); and Jonathan Wieskamp, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Assigned to Motional Ad LLC, Boston, MA (US)
Filed by MOTIONAL AD LLC, Boston, MA (US)
Filed on Aug. 31, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/008,311.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/899,663, filed on Sep. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0078593 A1, Mar. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); B60W 50/14 (2020.01); G01C 21/00 (2006.01); G01C 21/34 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G06K 9/00 (2022.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G01S 19/42 (2010.01)
CPC B60W 60/001 (2020.02) [B60W 50/14 (2013.01); B60W 60/0053 (2020.02); G01C 21/3407 (2013.01); G01C 21/3833 (2020.08); G05D 1/0011 (2013.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); B60W 2420/408 (2024.01); B60W 2555/00 (2020.02); G01S 19/42 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
one or more computer processors; and
one or more non-transitory storage media storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising:
operating a vehicle in an autonomous mode, wherein operating the vehicle in the autonomous mode comprises:
receiving sensor data associated with one or more objects within an environment of the vehicle;
causing control of at least one of steering, throttling or ignition of the vehicle based on the sensor data to navigate the vehicle to a destination;
determining a first geographic location of the vehicle using location data from a location sensor;
determining a second geographic location of the vehicle using the first geographic location, imaging data from an imaging sensor, and a semantic map comprising a map with annotated features, wherein the second geographic location is more precise than the first geographic location;
determining a predicted location of the vehicle based on the second geographic location of the vehicle;
in accordance with a determination that the annotated features of the semantic map are not available for determining geographical locations at the predicted location, providing an alert that the vehicle will exit the autonomous mode; and
in accordance with a determination that no operator control is detected after providing the alert:
maintaining operation of the vehicle in the autonomous mode; and
re-routing the vehicle by navigating the vehicle on a route that keeps the vehicle within an area in which the annotated features of the semantic map are available for determining geographical locations.