Baidu USA LLC

Apollo Autonomous Driving USA LLC

Applied Materials, Inc.

Baidu.com Times Technology (beijing) Co. Ltd.

Yaoming Shen

Yang Han

Baoping Yuan

Xiangfei Zhou

Tianjia Sun

Manjiang Zhang

Mehdi Vaez-Iravani

Todd J Egan

Samer Banna

Shuai Wang

Gregory Kirk

Abraham Ravid

Kyle Tantiwong

Lingchang Li

Ning Qu

Xiaodong Liu

Tiffany Zhang

Kwan Oh

Shuangcheng Guo

Xianfei Li

Yun Zhao

Jeongho Lyu

This disclosure provides systems and methods for deceleration control during emergency braking using control algorithm override. An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-implemented method for deceleration by a controlling device of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV). The method includes engaging a braking system of the ADV to decelerate the ADV using a first deceleration algorithm. When an onset of discrepancy between a velocity of the ADV and a corresponding wheel speed of the ADV is detected, a processing device, based on the discrepancy, overrides an output of the first deceleration algorithm using a second deceleration algorithm that prioritizes in reducing the discrepancy between the velocity of the ADV and the corresponding wheel speed of the ADV over a target rate of deceleration computed by the first deceleration algorithm.

Skid avoidance during emergency braking with control algorithm override for autonomous or assisted driving vehicles

Embodiments herein relate to robust methodologies for autonomous parking. In one or more embodiments, an autonomous vehicle may determine the slope of a road based upon one or more inputs and a pre-defined slope definition and may also determine curb/no curb status of a parking location. Given the determined road conditions, such as slope and no curb/curb, embodiments determine wheel direction and angle that the vehicle should achieve to properly park. Embodiments also include countermeasures if one or more issues prohibit the vehicle from achieving a desired parking condition.

Automated vehicle parking

Embodiments herein comprise monitoring factors related to braking of an autonomous vehicle. In response to determining, based upon data from one or more sensors, whether a failure state from a set of one or more failure states has occurred, a failure log is updated to record the occurrence of the detected failure state. In one or more embodiments, the failure states have associated severity levels, and the updated log and associated severities are used to determine a braking safety or failure metric for the vehicle. In one or more embodiments, if the vehicle has a metric corresponding to a rule that correlates the braking safety metric value to a set of one or more actions, the corresponding action(s) may then be implemented. For example, if the braking safety metric has a value corresponding to a rule that indicates the vehicle is unsafe, the vehicle is parked.

Systems and methods for monitoring and controlling a vehicle with redundant braking systems

Data is received from a plurality of sensors mounted on an ADV being held to a standstill. A status of the ADV including a rolling speed of the ADV is detected based on the data from the plurality of sensors. One of a primary brake or a secondary brake is activated, in response to detecting the status of the ADV being a first status including the rolling speed being higher than zero and lower than a first predetermined speed threshold. An electronic parking brake is activated, in response to detecting the status of the ADV being a second status including the rolling speed being higher than the first predetermined speed threshold and lower than a second predetermined speed threshold. An engine brake may be used to reduce the crash damage, and a warning message (e.g., Message-4) may be generated.

Autonomous driving vehicle redundant holding control to prevent rolling

This disclosure provides systems and methods for providing a failsafe braking system to independently backup various braking controls, such as longitudinal control, stability control, and standstill control. For example, in addition to providing the longitudinal control, the stability control, and the standstill control in a primary braking system (PBS), a secondary braking system (SBS) may independently intervene a malfunctioning braking procedure (e.g., any one of the longitudinal control, the stability control, and the standstill control) of the PBS. The PBS malfunctions may be caused by power failure, actuation failure (e.g., failure of electric motor or otherwise loss of actuation pressure), or control failure (e.g., electronic control unit (ECU) or control circuitry failure). Thus, the SBS uses an independent set of power supply, actuation devices (e.g., motors, pumps, and/or valves), and provides a redundant control circuitry to back up the control circuitry of the PBS.

Failsafe braking systems with independent braking actuations for autonomous or assisted driving vehicles

In one embodiment, a system determines activation parameters for an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV), where the activation parameters include historical usages of a primary brake system or a secondary brake system. In response to determining that a brake is to be applied, the system determines whether to activate a primary or a secondary brake system based on the activation parameters. The system sends an activation flag to activate the primary or the secondary brake system based on the determining whether to activate the primary or the secondary brake system. The system sends a brake command to the primary and the secondary brake system to activate either the primary or the secondary brake system according to the activation flag.

Activation of primary and secondary brake systems for autonomous vehicles

Sound signals are received by a plurality of microphones disposed on a top of an ADV. An analysis of the sound signals is performed based on a spectrum and a vibration intensity of the sound signals. A wheel which the sound signals come from and a thickness of a brake pad of the wheel is determine based on the analysis of the sound signals. A brake pad wear degree of the brake pad and how long the ADV can run with the brake pad within a safety range is determined. A warning message indicating warning information based on the brake pad wear degree is transmitted.

Brake pad wear detection and warning for autonomous driving vehicles

In one embodiment, a system determines a signal fault at a communication bus of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV). In response to determining the signal fault, the system sends a brake pre-charge command to a brake system of the ADV to pre-charge a brake of the ADV. The system determines a preset tolerance time to validate the signal fault. In response to a time elapse of the preset tolerance time, the system validates the signal fault at the communication bus or determine a signal fault at another communication bus. In response to validating the signal fault at the communication bus or determining the signal fault at the another communication bus, the system sends a brake command to the brake system of the ADV to engage brakes for the ADV.

Braking actions for failing can buses for autonomous vehicles

This disclosure provides systems and methods for electrical power conservation during braking for autonomous or assisted driving vehicles, such as when electrical currents are continuously supplied to the brake system when the vehicle is temporarily halted at a slope. Braking hysteresis is the relationship between the input (e.g., operating pressure, caused by an electrical motor to increase the fluid pressures in the brake system) and the output (e.g., braking pressure applied by the brake pads on the rotors), in which the change of the output is different during the increase of the input and during the decrease of the input. The present disclosure provides techniques for conserving electrical power consumption by using the brake hysteresis.

Electrical power conservation during braking for autonomous or assisted driving vehicles

In one embodiment, a light detection and range (LIDAR) device includes an array of light transmitting and receiving (TX/RX) units arranged to sense a physical range associated with a target. Each of the light TX/RX units includes a mounting board having a light pass-through opening and a light emitter mounted adjacent to the light pass-through opening. The light emitter is configured to emit a light beam towards the target according to a transmitting path. The LIDAR device further includes a light detector positioned behind the mounting board to receive at least a portion of the light beam reflected from the target through the light pass-through opening according to a light receiving path. The light transmitting path and the light receiving path are substantially in parallel and close to each other.

Light detection and range (LIDAR) device with component stacking for coaxial readout without splitter mirror for autonomous driving vehicles

In some implementations, a method is provided. The method includes determining a first set of data acquisition characteristics of a first sensor of an autonomous driving vehicle. The method also includes determining a second set of data acquisition characteristics of a second sensor of the autonomous driving vehicle. The method further includes synchronizing a first data acquisition time of the first sensor and a second data acquisition time of the second sensor, based on the first set of data acquisition characteristics and the second set of data acquisition characteristics. The first sensor obtains first sensor data at the first data acquisition time. The second sensor obtains second sensor data at the second data acquisition time.

Synchronizing sensors of autonomous driving vehicles

In one embodiment, a LIDAR device of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) includes an array of light emitters to emit a number of light beams to sense a physical range associated with a target. The LIDAR device further includes a slope mirror having a slope surface and a flat surface supported by a rotatable platform. The rotatable platform is configured to rotate with respect to a vertical axis perpendicular to the flat surface. The light emitters are configured to project the light beams onto the slope surface of the slope mirror, which are deflected towards the target. The slope mirror rotates along with the rotatable platform while the array of light emitters remains steady. The LIDAR device further includes one or more light detectors to receive at least a portion of the light beams reflected from the target.

Light detection and range (LIDAR) device with a single spinning mirror for autonomous driving vehicles

In one embodiment, a three-dimensional LIDAR system includes a light source (e.g., laser) to emit a light beam (e.g., a laser beam) to sense a physical range associated with a target. The system includes a camera and a light detector (e.g., a flash LIDAR unit) to receive at least a portion of the light beam reflected from the target. They system includes a dichroic mirror situated between the target and the light detector, the dichroic mirror configured to direct the light beam reflected from the target to the light detector to generate a first image, wherein the dichroic mirror further directs optical lights reflected from the target to the camera to generate a second image. The system includes an image processing logic coupled to the light detector and the camera to combine the first image and the second image to generate a 3D image.

3D lidar system using a dichroic mirror for autonomous driving vehicles

In one embodiment, a method for monitoring a localization function in an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) can use known static objects as ground truths to determine when the localization function encounter errors. The known static objects are marked on a high definition (HD) map for the real-time driving environment. When the ADV detects one or more known static objects, the ADV can use sensor data, locations of the one or more static objects, and one or more error tolerance parameters to create a localization error tolerance area surrounding a current location of the ADV. The ADV can project the tolerance area on the HD map, performs a localization operation to generate an expected location of the ADV on the HD map, and determines whether the generated location falls within the projected tolerance area. If the generated location falls outside the projected tolerance area, indicating a localization function of the ADV encounter errors, the ADV can generate an alarm to alert a human driver to switch to a manual driving mode. If no human driver is available in the ADV, the ADV can activate a vision-based fail-safe localization procedure.

Method of monitoring localization functions in an autonomous driving vehicle

A two dimensional (2D) LIDAR scanning system that uses a combination of a rotating polygonal mirror and a rotatable prism to scan an area of an object. The polygonal mirror and prism are rotated in combination to generate a scanning pattern. A pulsed laser is directed to the polygonal mirror and the prism is held in a fixed position. The polygonal mirror is then incremented a plurality of times to generate a scan line of LIDAR data. The prism is then incremented and a next scan line, e.g., up or down from the first scan line, is generated. An avalanche photodiode (APD) can read the reflections of objects for each scan point. Object reflections can be directed to the APD using either a polarizing beam splitter with a quarter wave plate, or a 50-50 beam splitter.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Yaoming Shen