Google Inc.

Waymo LLC

Ajay Joshi

Xiang Gao

Gil Simha Briskin

Henning Hohnhold

John Eric Hoffmann

Xiaoyue Zhao

Kevin Cao

Yin-Hsiu Chen

Joshua Seth Herbach

Katharine Patterson

Vishay Nihalani

Dietmar Ebner

Joseph Lee

Gabriel Wolosin

Igor Tufanov

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for retrieving and using contextual data from previous conversation sessions in conversational searches. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a first query for a first user session, determining that the first query refers to one or more tags in a first repository, the first repository associating respective identifiers to respective tags, each identifier representing a corresponding user session, determining one or more particular identifiers associated with the one or more tags in the first repository, retrieving particular contextual data associated with the determined particular identifiers in a second repository, the second repository associating respective identifiers to respective contextual data associated with corresponding user sessions represented by the respective identifiers, and performing an action responsive to the first query based on the retrieved particular contextual data.

Retrieving context from previous sessions

Aspects of the disclosure provide a method of providing a destination to an autonomous vehicle in order to enable the autonomous vehicle to collect data according to a targeted driving goal. For instance, a current location of an autonomous vehicle may be received. A set of destinations may be selected from a plurality of predetermined destinations. A route may be determined for each destination. A relevance score may be determined for each destination based on the determined routes and the targeted driving goal. Each destination may be assigned to one of a set of two or more buckets based on the relevance scores. A destination of the set may be selected based on a predetermined sampling probability. The selected destination is sent to the autonomous vehicle in order to cause the autonomous vehicle to travel to the selected destination in an autonomous driving mode.

Targeted driving for autonomous vehicles

Aspects of the disclosure provide for the generation of a driving difficulty heat map for autonomous vehicles. For instance, log data generated by a vehicle being driven in a manual driving mode for a segment of a route may be input into a disengage model in order to generate an output identifying a likelihood of a vehicle driving in an autonomous driving mode requiring a disengage from the autonomous driving mode along the segment of the route. The log data may have been collected within a geographic area. A grid for the geographic area may be generated. The grid may include a plurality of cells. The output is assigned to one of the plurality of cells. The plurality of cells and assigned output may be used to generate a driving difficulty heat map for the geographic area.

Driving difficulty maps for autonomous vehicles

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for modifying queries in a discourse context. In one aspect, a method includes determining whether a query received from a user device subsequent to information provided to a user device and that defines a discourse context belongs to the discourse context. If the query belongs to the discourse context, the query is modified to take into account attributes of the discourse context.

Modifying query in discourse context

Aspects of the disclosure provide for the selection of a route for a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode. For instance, an initial location of the vehicle may be identified. This location may be used to determine a set of possible routes to a destination location. A cost for each route of the plurality is determined by inputting time of day information, map information, and details of that route into one or more models in order to determine whether the vehicle is likely to be stranded along that route and assessing the cost based at least in part on the determination of whether the vehicle is likely to be stranded along that route. One of the routes of the set of possible routes may be selected based on any determined costs. The vehicle may be controlled in the autonomous driving mode using the selected one.

Model-based routing for autonomous vehicles

Aspects of the disclosure provide for the determining whether to assign a driver to a trip. For instance, a route for a trip between a pickup location and a destination location for a passenger may be determined. Branch routes for the route may be determined based on one or more lane changes of the route. A probability of following each determined branch route may be determined. A probability of requiring assistance for each determined branch route may be determined. Whether to assign a driver to the trip may be determined based on the probabilities for each determined branch route. A vehicle of a fleet of vehicles may be assigned to the trip based on the determine of whether to assign a driver.

Assigning vehicles for transportation services

The disclosure relates to assessing impact of blockages on an autonomous vehicle transportation service. An example method may include identifying a plurality of starting and destination location pairs within a service area; running a first plurality of simulations by determining a first route for each of the plurality of pairs without including a first blockage in the service area; determining a first summary for each determined first route identifying a length of time to complete that determined route; running a second plurality of simulations by determining a second route for each of the plurality of pairs and including the first blockage in the service area; determining a second summary for each determined second route identifying a length of time to complete that determined route; and comparing the determined first summaries with the determined second summaries in order to assess an impact of the first blockage on the service.

Assessing the impact of blockages on autonomous vehicle services

Driving difficulty heat maps for autonomous vehicles

Among other things, this document describes a computer-implemented method for storing and retrieving information about the locations of objects. The method can include receiving a first query that includes one or more terms identifying an object. The first query can be determined to include a command to store location information for the object. The first query can be parsed to determine identifying information for the object, and a location can be determined for the object. The method further includes identifying one or more attributes of the object that are not specified in the first query, and causing a first set of data to be stored that characterizes the identifying information for the objet, the location of the object, and the one or more attributes of the object.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Ajay Joshi