US 11,814,072 B2
Method and system for conditional operation of an autonomous agent
Collin Johnson, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Alexander Cunningham, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Timothy Saucer, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Edwin B. Olson, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Assigned to May Mobility, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed by May Mobility, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed on Feb. 14, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/109,689.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/309,945, filed on Feb. 14, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0256991 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); G06N 3/00 (2023.01)
CPC B60W 60/001 (2020.02) [B60W 2552/05 (2020.02); B60W 2552/53 (2020.02); B60W 2554/4046 (2020.02); B60W 2556/40 (2020.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:
selecting a first set of policies for evaluation by the autonomous vehicle, the first set of policies comprising:
a set of single action policies;
a set of multiple action policies, wherein each of the set of multiple action policies prescribes:
a set of multiple actions; and
a set of trigger conditions, wherein each of the set of trigger conditions is associated with a transition between consecutive actions of the set of multiple actions;
evaluating the first set of policies, wherein evaluating the first set of policies comprises:
for each policy of the first set of policies:
simulating, over a predetermined simulation time period in the future, a behavior of the autonomous vehicle and a behavior of each of a set of tracked agents in an environment of the autonomous vehicle in response to the autonomous vehicle executing the policy;
determining a quantitative metric for the policy based on the behavior of the autonomous vehicle and the behaviors of the set of tracked agents;
selecting a policy from the first set of policies based on the set of quantitative metrics;
operating the autonomous vehicle according to the selected policy, wherein the selected policy comprises a multiple action policy of the set of multiple action policies, comprising:
implementing a first action of the set of multiple actions of the selected multiple action policy;
while the first action is being implemented and according to a predetermined election cycle period, the predetermined election cycle period having a shorter duration than the predetermined simulation time period, selecting a second set of policies for evaluation by the autonomous vehicle;
evaluating the second set of policies and selecting a second policy based on the evaluation;
refraining from completing a remainder of the selected multiple action policy;
operating the autonomous vehicle according to the selected second policy.