US 12,084,119 B2
Efficient autonomous trucks
Vijaysai Patnaik, San Francisco, CA (US); and William Grossman, East Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by WAYMO LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/474,610.
Application 17/098,535 is a division of application No. 16/562,539, filed on Sep. 6, 2019, granted, now 11,242,098, issued on Feb. 8, 2022.
Application 18/474,610 is a continuation of application No. 17/098,535, filed on Nov. 16, 2020, granted, now 11,801,905.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/879,193, filed on Jul. 26, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0025491 A1, Jan. 25, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B62D 35/00 (2006.01); B60W 30/18 (2012.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); B60R 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC B62D 35/001 (2013.01) [B60W 30/18009 (2013.01); B60W 30/18109 (2013.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01); G05D 1/0238 (2013.01); B60R 2011/0082 (2013.01); B60R 2011/0094 (2013.01); B60R 2300/8093 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous driving mode, the vehicle comprising:
a driving system including a steering subsystem, an acceleration subsystem and a deceleration subsystem to control driving of the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode;
a perception system configured to detect objects in an environment external to the vehicle, the perception system including a plurality of sensors; and
a control system including one or more processors, the control system operatively coupled to the driving system and the perception system, the control system being configured, while the vehicle is operating in the autonomous driving mode, to:
evaluate an aerodynamic profile of the vehicle to determine impact of deployment of the plurality of sensors on the aerodynamic profile;
based on the evaluation, select one of the plurality of sensors to be deployed in an active sensing mode; and
instruct the perception system to deploy the selected sensor from a retracted position along or within the vehicle to an extended position external to the vehicle for operation in the active sensing mode.