US-20260127698-A1 - Autonomous Driving under User Instructions

US20260127698A1US 20260127698 A1US20260127698 A1US 20260127698A1US-20260127698-A1

Abstract

System and method for a user to navigate an autonomous vehicle. In an aspect, the vehicle parks at a parking lot autonomously. In another aspect, after a user submits a forward command, the vehicle is arranged to go straight within a given distance. In another aspect, after a user submits a turn-right command, the vehicle is arranged to turn right and then go straight within a given distance.

Inventors

Chian Chiu Li

Assignees

Chian Chiu Li

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251231

Claims (20)

1 . A method for a vehicle to park autonomously, comprising: sensing a plurality of parking spaces using one or more sensors, the plurality of parking spaces being predetermined; displaying the plurality of parking spaces on a display in the vehicle; displaying an unoccupied parking space among the plurality of parking spaces on the display; and in response to a tap on an area of the unoccupied parking space on the display by a user in the vehicle, taking the tap as a selection and parking the vehicle at the unoccupied parking space autonomously.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: changing an appearance of the unoccupied parking space on the display in response to detection of the tap on the area of the unoccupied parking space.
3 . The method according to claim 1 wherein displaying the plurality of parking spaces on the display is performed before the vehicle arrives at a parking area of the plurality of parking spaces.
4 . The method according to claim 1 wherein displaying the plurality of parking spaces on the display is performed after the vehicle arrives at a parking area of the plurality of parking spaces.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: presenting an option on the display for the user to choose an orientation of the vehicle at the unoccupied parking space.
6 . The method according to claim 1 wherein displaying the plurality of parking spaces on the display includes displaying a map showing the plurality of parking spaces.
7 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: in response to selection of an additional unoccupied parking space by the user after the vehicle is parked at the unoccupied parking space, driving the vehicle to the additional unoccupied parking space autonomously.
8 . A method for a vehicle to park autonomously, comprising: displaying a map showing a plurality of parking spaces on a display for a user, the plurality of parking spaces being predetermined; displaying an unoccupied parking space among the plurality of parking spaces on the map; and in response to a tap on an area of the unoccupied parking space on the display by the user, taking the tap as a selection and causing the vehicle to park at the unoccupied parking space autonomously.
9 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising: changing an appearance of the unoccupied parking space on the display in response to detection of the tap on the area of the unoccupied parking space.
10 . The method according to claim 8 wherein displaying the map showing the plurality of parking spaces on the display is performed before the vehicle arrives at a parking area of the plurality of parking spaces.
11 . The method according to claim 8 wherein displaying the map showing the plurality of parking spaces on the display is performed after the vehicle arrives at a parking area of the plurality of parking spaces.
12 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising: presenting an option on the display for the user to choose an orientation of the vehicle at the unoccupied parking space.
13 . The method according to claim 8 wherein the map includes content of a road map and a detection result through one or more sensors.
14 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising: in response to selection of an additional unoccupied parking space by the user after the vehicle is parked at the unoccupied parking space, causing the vehicle to drive to the additional unoccupied parking space autonomously.
15 . A method for a vehicle to park autonomously, comprising: presenting a parking option for the vehicle to park at a parking space before the vehicle arrives at an area of the parking space; sensing an environment around the parking space by one or more sensors after the vehicle arrives at the area of the parking space; displaying a sensing result by the one or more sensors on a display in the vehicle before parking the vehicle at the parking space; and in response to receiving a command from a user in the vehicle, parking the vehicle at the parking space autonomously.
16 . The method according to claim 15 wherein the user taps an area of the parking space on the display to make the command.
17 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising: presenting an option on the display for the user to choose an orientation of the vehicle at the parking space.
18 . The method according to claim 15 wherein presenting the parking option includes displaying a map showing the parking space on the display.
19 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising: in response to selection of an additional parking space by the user after the vehicle is parked at the parking space, driving the vehicle to the additional parking space autonomously.
20 . The method according to claim 15 wherein parking the vehicle at the parking space autonomously includes parking the vehicle autonomously at the parking space with an orientation determined by the user.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/796,944, filed Aug. 7, 2024, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/829,827, filed Jun. 1, 2022, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/909,977, filed Jun. 23, 2020, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/484,060, filed Apr. 10, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,753,763, granted Aug. 25, 2020. FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to autonomous driving, more particularly to autonomous driving under instructions from a user and autonomous parking. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Autonomous vehicles represent a great advance in the transportation industry. Autonomous driving is expected to reduce traffic fatalities and crashes caused by driver error, provide increased mobility for people who lack access to automobiles, reduce energy consumption and pollution, and cut costs associated with congestion. In general, an autonomous vehicle (also referred to as a driverless vehicle or a self-driving vehicle) is a vehicle capable of sensing and navigating around the vehicle's surroundings and travelling autonomously to a destination without user input. The vehicle may employ a combination of sensors such as cameras, radar, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, global position system (GPS), etc. Data obtained from the sensors may be used to detect what's around it and road conditions. For instance, surrounding vehicles, traffic lanes, road markers, road signs, obstacles, and pedestrians may be identified. A vehicle control system may analyze the data to determine certain aspects of the vehicle operation, such as a target trajectory, steering, speed, signaling, braking, and so on. As consecutive maneuvers are calculated and implemented by the control system, the vehicle navigates to a destination through the driving environment autonomously. When an autonomous vehicle is available, a user may just need to submit a destination to go to a place. Riding on a vehicle may become a simple and easy experience for all users. In some cases, however, a user may want to take a detour during a trip. The user may be unfamiliar with automobile driving and thus may not be able to maneuver a vehicle even when an option of manual driving is provided. Thus the user may have to change a destination temporarily and then switch back to it after a detour is completed. The method is unnatural, indirect, and inconvenient. In addition, a check-in process may be needed in order to ride an autonomous vehicle. Although it is easy to use a smartphone to do check-in, there are still some users who may not carry any electronic gadget. Thus, multiple check-in options including a gadget-free method may be desirable. Therefore, there exists a need for a user to navigate an autonomous vehicle easily and intuitively and a need for multiple options including a gadget-free method to check in a vehicle. As used herein, the word “vehicle” may mean any form of motorized transportation. Examples of vehicle may include automobile, drone, flying car, aircraft, and ship. Words “route”, “road”, “roadway”, and “path” may have similar meanings and they may all mean a thoroughfare or open way between two places for vehicle travel or transportation. For convenience of description, it may be arranged that “Service Center” as used herein may mean a center as a business entity or a server which is operated at Service Center. “Check in” as used herein may mean a user logs in a user account at a vehicle using info obtained from a reservation or using other suitable info. After a check-in process, a user may be allowed to interact with a vehicle further. “Autonomous mode” as used herein may mean a driverless driving state. When a vehicle is in autonomous mode, it navigates and travels by itself without the need of user input. OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES Accordingly, several main objects and advantages of the present invention are: a). to provide an improved system and method for a user to navigate an autonomous vehicle;b). to provide such a system and method which are simple, convenient, and intuitive to use;c). to provide such a system and method which make it easy and intuitive to maneuver a vehicle to go straight, turn left, turn right, reverse, and make a U-turn;d). to provide such a system and method which show available parking spots to help a user select a parking space;e). to provide such a system and method which enable a gadget-free check-in process using a printout or simple code;f). to provide such a system and method which provide options for starting a journey sooner; andg). to provide such a method and system which display an identification object at a hailed vehicle for a user to find the vehicle. Further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a user may su