US 12,134,876 B2
Autonomous operation by earth-moving vehicle based on triggering conditions
Noah Austen Ready-Campbell, San Francisco, CA (US); Andrew Xiao Liang, San Francisco, CA (US); Gaurav Jitendra Kikani, San Francisco, CA (US); and Joonhyun Kim, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to BUILT ROBOTICS INC., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed by Built Robotics Inc., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed on May 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/313,233.
Application 18/313,233 is a continuation of application No. 17/190,828, filed on Mar. 3, 2021, granted, now 11,680,384.
Prior Publication US 2023/0272597 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E02F 9/20 (2006.01); E02F 9/26 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01)
CPC E02F 9/205 (2013.01) [E02F 9/267 (2013.01); G05D 1/0016 (2013.01); G05D 1/0214 (2013.01); G05D 1/0238 (2013.01); G05D 1/0278 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
autonomously performing, by an autonomous vehicle (AV), an operation within a site, wherein the operation includes adjusting a tool of the AV to manipulate material within the site;
while performing the operation, determining, autonomously by the AV, a risk associated with a state of the AV which triggers one or more triggering conditions, wherein the risk is computed based on the one or more triggering conditions and a potential outcome of each of the one or more triggering conditions, the one or more triggering conditions comprising: detection of a collision above a threshold magnitude, detection that the AV is within a threshold proximity of a geofence, and detection of one or more humans within a threshold proximity of the AV;
in response to determining that the computed risk is greater than a first threshold risk but less than a second threshold risk, notifying, autonomously by the AV, a remote operator that the one or more triggering conditions were triggered and reducing, autonomously by the AV, a motor speed of the AV before continuing the autonomous performance of the operation; and
in response to determining that the computed risk is greater than the second threshold risk, notifying, autonomously by the AV, the remote operator of the state of the AV and pausing, autonomously by the AV, the autonomous performance of the operation until feedback is received from the remote operator.