| CPC B60W 60/0015 (2020.02) [G06V 20/13 (2022.01); G06V 20/588 (2022.01); B60W 2420/403 (2013.01); B60W 2420/52 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
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1. A system, comprising:
a plurality of landing pads, wherein each landing pad is sized and shaped to accommodate an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle comprising at least one vehicle sensor located on the autonomous vehicle and configured to observe a field-of-view comprising a region in front of the autonomous vehicle;
one or more landing pad sensors located in or around each landing pad, each landing pad sensor configured to observe at least a portion of the landing pad;
a control subsystem, external to a first autonomous vehicle, comprising a processor configured to:
receive landing pad sensor data from the one or more landing pad sensors;
receive, from the first autonomous vehicle traveling to a terminal comprising the plurality of landing pads before reaching the terminal and when the first autonomous vehicle is within a threshold distance from the terminal, a request for an assigned landing pad of the plurality of landing pads in which the first autonomous vehicle should be positioned;
in response to receiving the request for the assigned landing pad:
determine, based on implementing an obstruction detection neural network to the received landing pad sensor data, whether a first landing pad is free of obstructions that would prevent receipt of the first autonomous vehicle;
if it is determined that the first landing pad is free of obstructions that would prevent receipt of the first autonomous vehicle, provide an indication to the first autonomous vehicle that the first landing pad is the assigned landing pad;
if it is determined that the first landing pad is not free of obstructions that would prevent receipt of the first autonomous vehicle:
determine, based on implementing an obstruction detection neural network to the received landing pad sensor data, that a second landing pad is free of obstructions that would prevent receipt of the first autonomous vehicle; and
in response to determining that the second landing pad is free of obstructions that would prevent receipt of the first autonomous vehicle, provide an indication to the first autonomous vehicle that the second landing pad is the assigned landing pad;
an in-vehicle control computer associated with the first autonomous vehicle, communicatively coupled to the control subsystem, and comprising a second processor configured to:
receive the indication from the control subsystem; and
maneuver the first autonomous vehicle onto the assigned landing pad.
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