Systems and methods for updating pickup and dropoff locations for a vehicle

US11885626B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Waymo LLC · US

Inventors

• Eric Nathan Friedman · San Francisco, US
• Saksiri Tanphaichitr · Palo Alto, US
• Donghyun Kim · Cambridge, US
• Ben Qingzhou Wang · San Jose, US
• Cameron Blume · Mountain View, US
• Mishika Vora · Hayward, US
• Gaurav Agarwal · Bengaluru, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 27, 2020
• Grant date: Jan 30, 2024
• Expiry date: Mar 19, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06V20/588
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An example method includes setting an initial pickup location. The method includes causing an autonomous vehicle to navigate towards the initial pickup location. The method includes periodically generating a plurality of candidate updated pickup locations. The method includes selecting a suggested pickup location from the plurality of candidate pickup locations that achieves a benchmark for reducing one or more of a time and a distance associated with the initial pickup location for one or more of the autonomous vehicle and the client device. The method includes determining that the suggested pickup location satisfies a set of pre-update checks for limiting a number of pickup location updates. The method includes responsive to (i) selecting the suggested pickup location, and (ii) determining that the suggested pickup location satisfies the set of pre-update checks, causing the autonomous vehicle to navigate to the suggested pickup location.