US-20260127699-A1 - Autonomous Driving under User Instructions

US20260127699A1US 20260127699 A1US20260127699 A1US 20260127699A1US-20260127699-A1

Abstract

System and method for a user to navigate an autonomous vehicle. In an aspect, the vehicle drives out of 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 drive out of a parking space autonomously, comprising: receiving a first command from a user; starting an engine of the vehicle; sensing an environment around the parking space using one or more sensors and navigating the vehicle out of the parking space autonomously without having destination information; leaving a parking area of the parking space autonomously; driving the vehicle away from the parking area autonomously; and in response to receiving a second command from or detecting an act of the user, navigate the vehicle according to the second command or the act.
2 . The method according to claim 1 wherein navigating the vehicle out of the parking space includes calculating a first route segment and navigating the vehicle out of the parking space along the first route segment.
3 . The method according to claim 1 wherein leaving the parking area of the parking space includes calculating a second route segment and leaving the parking area of the parking space along the second route segment.
4 . The method according to claim 1 wherein navigating the vehicle out of the parking space autonomously is performed after the vehicle receives an instruction from the user.
5 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the parking area of the parking space is a parking lot.
6 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the parking area of the parking space is a roadside parking area.
7 . The method according to claim 3 , further comprising: stopping the vehicle after the second route segment is traveled if the second command from the user is not received or the act of the user is not detected.
8 . A method for a vehicle to drive out of a parking space autonomously, comprising: starting an engine of the vehicle; calculating a first route segment; sensing an environment around the parking space using one or more sensors and navigating the vehicle out of the parking space along the first segment autonomously without obtaining destination information; calculating a second route segment and leaving a parking area of the parking space autonomously; and driving the vehicle away from the parking area along the second route segment autonomously.
9 . The method according to claim 8 wherein starting the engine of the vehicle is performed after obtaining a first command from a user.
10 . The method according to claim 8 wherein navigating the vehicle out of the parking space is performed after obtaining a second command from a user.
11 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising: navigating the vehicle to a destination in response to receiving information of the destination after driving the vehicle out of the parking space.
12 . The method according to claim 8 wherein the parking area of the parking space is a parking lot.
13 . The method according to claim 8 wherein the parking area of the parking space is a roadside parking area.
14 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising: stopping the vehicle after the second route segment is traveled if an instruction from the user is not received or an act of the user is not detected.
15 . A method for a vehicle to drive out of a parking space autonomously, comprising: obtaining a first route segment; sensing an environment around the parking space using one or more sensors and navigating the vehicle out of the parking space along the first segment autonomously without obtaining destination information; obtaining a second route segment and leaving a parking area of the parking space autonomously; and driving the vehicle away from the parking area along the second route segment autonomously.
16 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising: starting an engine of the vehicle after obtaining a first command from a user.
17 . The method according to claim 15 wherein navigating the vehicle out of the parking space is performed after obtaining a second command from a user.
18 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising: navigating the vehicle to a destination in response to receiving information of the destination after driving the vehicle out of the parking space.
19 . The method according to claim 15 wherein the parking area of the parking space is a parking lot or a roadside parking area.
20 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising: stopping the vehicle after the second route segment is traveled if a command from the user is not received or an act of the user is not detected.

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 driving at a parking lot. 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 inventi